Chapel Hill, NC, November 15, 2010: The holiday season is fast approaching and Downtown Chapel Hill will shine bright with holiday cheer and spirit throughout the season! Join the Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership in kicking off the holiday season at the Downtown Tree Lighting Ceremony and celebrate the lighting of the 22' tall Community Tree in the Memorial Garden of University Baptist Church on Sunday, November 28 at 6:00 pm. Enjoy the caroling of the church choir as Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt joins us as the guest tree lighter again this year. Don't forget your camera - children can meet Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus and have their pictures taken for free! The community tree will stay up through the holiday season. University Baptist Church is located at 100 S. Columbia; at the corner of Columbia Street and Franklin Street in downtown Chapel Hill. Parking is FREE downtown on Sundays. University Square will also be offering free and convenient parking for the Tree Lighting Ceremony. For more information visit

The Chapel Hill -Carrboro Holiday Parade, presented by The Chapel Hill Jaycees, will be held on Saturday, December 11, 2010 from 10:00 am - 12:00 pm. This year the entire parade will be broadcast on The Peoples Channel. The parade starts at the Morehead Planetarium and winds the entire length of Franklin Street to Carrboro Town Hall. Applications for parade participants are still being accepted - until November 27th. For more information visit www.chapelhilljaycees.org.

Holiday Events at The Carolina Inn: The Carolina Inn is a must-see stop for everyone during the holidays. Festive and elegant decorations based on the holiday song, "The Twelve Days of Christmas" set the tone for the entire holiday season. The Carolina Inn offers self-guided tours and numerous holiday activities, including special meals, breakfast with Santa, cookie decorating, holiday teas and a display of wonderful gingerbread houses. Activities run Nov 29-Jan 2. For more information visit www.carolinainn.com.

Holiday House Tour: The Preservation Society of Chapel Hill will hold its annual Holiday House Tour in the Cameron-McCauley neighborhood, one of the oldest areas in the town and considered to be the birthplace of Chapel Hill. Visitors will be able to tour inside and learn the history of the homes in the neighborhood. The tour includes ten historic homes and The Carolina Inn. The tour will take place on December 11 and 12 from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. each day. Tickets for the tour are $20 in advance and $25 the weekend of the tour. For more information visit http://www.chpreservationblog.com/.