When someone asks you about Christmas in Mississippi, it is easy to name the more well-known events. After all, most of the state’s major cities have Christmas events lined up throughout December. But to find Christmas spirit in Mississippi, you just need to look at the map – and maybe have the magnifying glass ready.
Here are a few worth visiting this season.
Clarksdale, Miss.
Clarksdale was founded because a bridge was created to get over the Sunflower River in the vicinity of downtown, and Clarksdale has decorated all its bridges this year.
The Second Street Bridge was first decorated with blankets of lights last year and they have been replaced by strings of red and white lights this season.
The city beautification committee bought the big red ornaments in front of City Hall several years ago and both the city, county and tourism commission have given over $10,000 to hang wreaths on three bridges in the community and host events.
There are plans to clean up the Sunflower River bottom that winds through Clarksdale to the Highway 161 Bridge for Christmas next year.
And if you venture off Highway 61 enjoy a little blues music downtown. There is music in Clarksdale 365 days of the year. And that includes Christmas, too! See the Ad on Page 5 and have a “Blues Christmas.”
Christmas, Miss.
Christmas, Mississippi, is in Bolivar County, less than a mile south of Beulah.
Now, you’re not going to find a bunch of folks hanging Christmas lights or baking cookies — this unincorporated spot on the map is a “blink and you miss it” type of place.
How did the community get its name? That’s a good question. The earliest map showing Christmas along the Beulah Bend of the Mississippi River dates back to 1862. But just one year later, an engineered change in the course of the river occurred, now the area is known as Beulah Lake.
If carols were once sung during Christmas, they have long faded into the sounds of the wind.
Speaking of carols…..
Carrollton, Miss.
Carrollton, Mississippi, is the second county seat of Carroll County in the Mississippi Delta. With a population of less than 450, you might find some carolers throughout its less than one square mile area.
Now, Carrollton stands alone. Do not think that North Carrolltown is just the northern part of Carrollton – folks there proudly proclaim that they are their own area.
There is substantially more to Carrollton than Christmas. The town has a school, Carrollton Academy, as well as an actual operating local government, a documented history, and a website.
Holly Springs, Miss.
Deck the Halls with boughs of holly….
Compared to our first two stops with this Ghost of Christmas Puns, Holly Springs is a booming metropolis with a population of over 7,000.
First, Holly Springs was home to the Chickasaw, and then settlers moved in and created the town in the mid-1800s.
It’s easy to find loads of well-documented history for Holly Springs; it is home of Mississippi’s oldest university, the Chalmers Institute, which became Holly Springs University. Ulysses S. Grant used Holly Springs as a home base in efforts to take on Vicksburg.
Various industries came and went, moving into neighboring Tennessee and Alabama, but Holly Springs still stands today as the county seat of Marshall County.
• Snow Lake Shores, Miss.
Who thought Snow Lake Shores, Mississippi, would be a bustling summer spot in the Magnolia State?
This town is right along Big Snow Lake and is home to 300 people year-round, but that population can triple in the summer. This resort town was founded in the 1970s but officially incorporated in 1996.
There’s a volunteer fire department, a neighborhood watch, a mayor and aldermen – all the functioning pieces of a small town.
The town embraces its snowy name, too. In January, there’s a Polar Bear Dive into the lake to raise money for charity.
• Whynot, Miss.
Why focus on Mississippi towns with unusual names?
Why not? No, really!
Whynot, Mississippi is an unincorporated town in Lauderdale County, about sixteen miles southeast of Meridian.
It even has its own community center. The town’s most notable native son is David Ruffin, a member of the hit singing group The Temptations, who recorded many Christmas songs for Motown Records, including their own soul-filled version of Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer.
-- Article credit to Courtney Ingle of the Magnolia Tribune. Floyd Ingram contributed to this article.
