Christmas in Dawson by The Times

Christmas in Dawson 2024

PUBLISHER

Christmas in Dawsonville

parade, tree lighting and Jingle Market

On Nov. 23, the Dawson County Chamber of Commerce and City of Dawsonville will host their annual “Christmas in Dawsonville” celebration, featuring a Christmas parade, tree lighting and Jingle Market.

The annual Christmas parade will feature a wide array of colorful holiday floats and will take place at 4 p.m., running through downtown Dawsonville to end

at the city’s municipal complex.

The annual Jingle Market will offer shoppers a chance to pick up unique Christmas gifts from a variety of vendors and will be set up at City Hall from 2 to 8 p.m.

The tree lighting ceremony will allow attendees the chance to enjoy the beautiful Christmas lights adorning City Hall and the tree in front of it and will take place at 6 p.m.

The event will also include food trucks with a variety of food available for purchase from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m., as well as “You Snap” photos with Santa from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m.

For more information about the upcoming event, go to https://www. dawsonchamber.org/christmas-in-dawsonville/

Breakfast with Santa

The county’s annual Breakfast with Santa event takes place on the first Saturday in December from 8 to 11 a.m. at Rock Creek Park.

The event includes a chance to visit with Santa, eat breakfast, shop from local vendors, participate in fun activities and more.

Admission is free and includes several free activities for children, including goodie bags and toys, ornament making and crafts.

There will also be several items available for purchase, including photos starting at $5, breakfast starting at $2 and a variety of items from local vendors. Proceeds from the event go to benefit K.A.R.E. for Kids or EPIC.

No pets are allowed at the event, and cash only will be accepted. For more information about Breakfast with Santa, go to https://www. dawsoncountyga.gov/parksrec/page/ breakfast-santa

Feed the Hungry

The tenth annual Dawson Feed the Hungry event will be held on Christmas Day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Dawsonville Pool Room.

The event is aimed at providing those in need on Christmas Day with a hot meal and friendly faces to wish them Merry Christmas. Since Feed the Hungry began a decade ago, volunteers have helped feed thousands of families in Dawson and its surrounding counties.

Event organizers are in need of food donations, monetary donations and volunteers to help deliver and serve the meals on the day of the event.

For more information about Feed the Hungry, including how to volunteer or donate or how to order a meal for delivery on Christmas Day, reach out to event organizer Scotty Seay at 770-866-2005.

Gingerbread cutout cookies

ByEricaJones

Perfectly spiced and sweet, gingerbread cookies are the quintessential Christmas treat. I make these cutout cookies every year in a variety of shapes, and they’re always one of the first flavors to disappear off of the cookie tray.

Ingredients:

• 3 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 tablespoon ground ginger

• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

• 2/3 cup butter, softened

• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar

• 2/3 cup molasses

• 1 egg

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For royal icing:

• 4 cups powdered sugar

• 3 tablespoons meringue powder

• 5 tablespoons warm water

Directions:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter, brown sugar and molasses together until combined and creamy. Add eggs and vanilla and beat on high speed, scraping down the sides and the bottom of

Photo by Erica Jones

the bowl as needed.

2. Add the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, allspice and cloves and beat on low speed until combined.

3. Divide dough in half and wrap each half in plastic wrap. Chill for at least 3 hours.

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

5. Remove chilled dough from the refrigerator and unwrap. On a generously floured work surface, roll out dough to 1/4 inch thick. Cut into shapes and place one inch apart on prepared baking sheets. Re-roll out dough scraps until all dough is shaped.

6. Bake cookies for 9 to 10 minutes. Depending on the size of your cookie cutters, smaller cookies will need less time and larger ones will need a little longer.

7. Allow cookies to cool completely before decorating.

For royal icing:

1. Beat all three icing ingredients together until icing forms peaks.

2. Divide icing into bowls and color as desired.

3. Transfer into piping bags and decorate cooled cookies as desired.

DAWSONVILLE GUN

Saturday

DECEMBER 1 4 TH

FROM 9 AM - 4PM

Come by for FREE photos with Santa.

All Photos will be taken by a professional and uploaded to a complimentary USB drive at no cost to your family!

Merry Christmas FROM DAWSONVILLE GUN & PAWN

Christmas Events in North Georgia

Dahlonega

Dahlonega’s “Old-Fashioned Christmas” is set to kick off the day after Thanksgiving, and events will run through the end of December.

Christmas in Dahlonega will begin with the Lighting of the Square at 6 p.m. on Friday Nov. 29, and the Christmas lights will be lit each night from then until Jan. 5.

Other highlights of the holiday season in Dahlonega will include Santa visits every Friday, Saturday and Sunday through Christmas; food trucks on Fridays and Saturdays; the Christmas market on Dec. 6, 7, 13 and 14; a Christmas parade and live nativity on Dec. 14 and a New Years Eve celebration on Dec. 31.

For more information, go to https://dahlonegachristmas.com/.

Cumming

The City of Cumming will host its annual Christmas parade and Christmas festival on Saturday Dec. 14.

The parade will kick off at 5 p.m. and will travel south on Tribble Gap Road, starting at Forsyth Central High School and ending at the Cumming Fairgrounds. The Christmas festival will then follow the parade and include the annual Christmas Tree Lighting, Santa photos, music, food, s’mores, vendors, hayrides and more.

For more information, go to https://discoverfoco.com/event/cumming-christmas-parade-and-festival/.

Gainesville

Gainesville’s annual “Christmas on Green Street” event is scheduled for Sunday Dec. 8.

The event will include a parade of antique cars, holiday floats, marching bands and community groups, starting at 4 p.m. and running from the Gainesville Civic Center all the way down Green Street.

Before the parade, there will be activities from 2 to 4 p.m., including musical groups, magicians, face painters, balloon artists, storytellers, jugglers, Santa, miniature train rides and food trucks.

The evening will culminate with the traditional lighting of the Rotary Tree, immediately following the parade at the intersection of Green Street and West Academy Street.

For more information, go to https://www.exploregainesville.org/ christmas-on-green-street/.

Alpharetta

Alpharetta will host its annual Christmas market event on Saturday Dec. 7 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The market will set up at Innovation Academy and will include a wide range of vendors offering a variety of wares, including crafts, food, decor, jewelry and more.

For more information, go to https://www.awesomealpharetta.com/ event/alpharetta-christmas-market/

Four places to find the perfect Christmas tree in North Georgia

Holly Hill Christmas Tree Farm

Holly Hill is a family-owned Christmas tree farm in Dahlonega. Cut your own cypress or pine tree. Handmade wreaths are also available. The farm is open seasonally, starting on Thanksgiving Day.

Where: 276 Woodland Lane, Dahlonega

Hours: 3 p.m. to dark Tuesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to dark on Saturdays and 1 p.m. to dark on Sundays.

Contact: (706)864-8222 or go to https://www.facebook.com/ HollyHillTreeFarm/.

Bottoms Tree Farm

Bottoms Tree Farm is a family-run tree farm with over 5,000 “choose and cut” trees, as well as a selection of fresh-cut Fraser Firs. Four-legged family members are welcome as long as they’re on a leash. The farm’s Christmas tree season will start on Nov. 23.

Where: 5880 John Burruss Road, Cumming

Hours: Nov. 23 through 30 open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Dec. 1 through 20 open Monday through Friday from 3 to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Closed on Sundays.

Contact: (770)887-2728 or go to https://bottomstreefarm.com/.

Kinsey Family Farm

Kinsey Family Farm is a family-run business and has a large range of Christmas trees available, including “cut your own”, pre-cut trees and living trees in containers. The farm’s Christmas tree season starts the weekend before Thanksgiving.

Where: 7170 Jot-em Down Road, Gainesville

Hours: Monday through Friday from noon to 7 p.m.; Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Contact: (770)887-6028 or go to https://www.kinseyfamilyfarm. com/christmas/.

Barn Hill Tree Farm

Barn Hill Tree Farm is a familyowned “choose and cut” Christmas tree farm located in Dahlonega. The farm also offers a small retail area with handcrafted items for sale. The farm’s season starts on Nov. 23.

Where: 417 Oklahoma Ave W, Dahlonega

Hours: Nov. 23 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Nov. 24 from noon to 5 p.m.; Thanksgiving weekend: Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. Additional weekends open with regular hours on Saturday and Sunday.

Contact: (770)851-2432 or go to https://barnhilltreefarm.com/.

Shop with a Cop

This holiday season, the Dawson County Sheriff’s Office will hold its annual Shop with a Cop event. This program gives underprivileged children in the community the chance to purchase Christmas gifts for themselves and for their families.

During the holiday season, DCSO officers accompany children who are benefiting from Shop with a Cop as they shop for Christmas gifts, helping them shop and manage the funds they are given to use.

with a Cop. The ride saw an almost 50 percent increase in riders from last year’s ride, DCSO personnel reported afterwards.

Throughout the holiday season, the old patrol car decorated for the holidays can also be spotted out and about at local stores and shopping centers to help collect money for the program.

This year, the sheriff’s office held its annual “Shop with a Cop” motorcycle ride in October to raise funds for Shop

For more information about Shop with a Cop, including how to donate to the program, go to https://dawsoncountysheriff.org/community-programs-for-kids/ or call the Dawson County Sheriff’s Office at 706-3443535.

Seven local nonprofits to remember this holiday season

Dawson County has a large range of nonprofit organizations, all of which are dedicated to helping the community and the people living in it. Here are several options of nonprofits in Dawson County that can always use donations or volunteers, especially during the holiday season.

The Place

The Place is a nonprofit that helps people in Dawson and Forsyth counties with essential needs, with the goal of helping its clients become self-sustaining. The Place offers a wide range of services, including a food pantry and thrift store, financial assistance, assistance with federal aid applications, workforce development and education and more. The nonprofit also helps local families with Christmas needs during its annual “Holiday House” program.

To learn more or donate: https:// theplacega.org/

K.A.R.E. for Kids Inc.

K.A.R.E for Kids is a local nonprofit dedicated to bettering the lives of children in Dawson County. The biggest way that K.A.R.E. accomplishes this goal is through its annual Christmas program, during which hundreds of children in Dawson County are provided with clothes, toys and more for Christmas. K.A.R.E. also provides back-to-school assistance to families in need, hosts

the annual Mountain Moonshine Festival and hosts a yearly Easter egg hunt event for the community.

To learn more or donate: https:// www.kareforkids.org/

Dawson County Humane Society

The Dawson County Humane Society is a no-kill shelter dedicated to providing shelter for and meeting the basic needs of Dawson County’s homeless dogs and cats. The nonprofit operates the no-kill shelter in Dawson County, as well as a thrift store that supports the shelter.

To learn more or donate: https:// dawsoncountyhumanesociety.org/

Dawson County Wee Books

Dawson County Wee Books is a nonprofit that is dedicated to improving literacy in Dawson County. The nonprofit works in connection with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, and each month the organization mails free, age appropriate books to Dawson County children from birth through age five. Funding is provided through donations, business gifts,

grants and two fundraising events that the nonprofit holds each year.

To learn more or donate: https:// www.weebooksdawson.org/

Good Shepherd Clinic of Dawson County

The Good Shepherd Clinic of Dawson County is a nonprofit that is dedicated to making Dawson County a better place by providing free health services to uninsured Dawson County residents. The clinic provides a wide range of services to qualifying patients, including general medical care; basic dental care; audiology, cardiology and vision services; mental health counseling and more.

To learn more or donate: https:// goodshepherddawsonco.org/

Sleep in Heavenly Peace

Dawsonville

Sleep in Heavenly Peace is a na-

tional nonprofit that is dedicated to providing beds to children who don’t have one. The Dawsonville chapter serves children in Dawson, Lumpkin, Forsyth, Union and White counties and has provided hundreds of beds to children in need. Throughout the year, volunteers help accomplish this goal by building beds and delivering them to local families.

To learn more or donate: https:// shpbeds.org/chapter/ga-dawsonville/

Dawson Community Food Bank Inc.

Dawson Community Food Bank is a local nonprofit that provides food to local families in need. No one who needs food is turned away. The nonprofit also has a thrift store that helps to fund the food bank’s mission.

To learn more or donate: https:// www.dawsoncommunityfoodbank. com/