The lights shine brightly in Poplarville as the eve of the Christmas season slowly makes its way into everyone’s activities. All around the town, lights continue to rise. As Dean Martin croons in one of his most beloved songs, “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas,” there’s no exception when it comes to the small town of Poplarville.

The decorations hanging on the light posts in downtown Poplarville were placed during the week of the Thanksgiving holidays. The lights began to come up before Thanksgiving Day and will likely be up until the new year arrives. This year the decorations consist of the traditional angels as well as candles, Christmas trees, candy canes, soldiers, and Santa’s reindeer (don’t forget to look for Rudolf!). Up and down neighborhood streets, Christmas lights are also visible as each family finds joy in providing excitement for onlookers. Beautifully and brightly colored Christmas trees can be seen through the windows of cozy homes where people are trying to stay warm.

December 7th, the high school received a Dance Dance Revolution!© (DDR) game system for students and faculty alike, as part of the Healthy Lifestyle program. The system is located in the nurse's office, and students may use it at breaks and lunch, provided that there is a school staff member present. Teachers can reserve the system for their classes in advance if they call Cindy Carroll.

Poplarville Lower Elementary students visited City Hall on Tuesday, December 12^th. They were treated to a special reading of The Legend of the Candy Cane by Jody Stuart, City Clerk. Mayor Smith was on hand to introduce a very special guest, Santa Claus. Fire Chief Foster also assisted Mrs. Stuart in handing out candy canes as a special memento of the trip.

The Cloc Club (Christian Leaders on Campus) recently finished their annual toy drive for Brothers Keepers. The Middle School students have given very generously towards this good cause. A total of 125 toys were collected. We want to thank every student who participated. It's very exciting to know that we helped many children this Christmas! A CLOC Club member stated, "I personally pray that God will bless all those who gave to this special cause. Please continue to reach out to all of the other students who don't know Him! Remember, Jesus loves you!"