‘Tis the Season of Giving and Sharing

Savannah is a great city to celebrate the holidays. The month of December is always a flurry of activities from concerts (for young and old) to attend, shopping to finish, holiday events to attend and taking the time to enjoy gatherings with family and friends. It is also a season of giving and helping out those in need.

Holiday Events in Savannah

Savannah has many special holiday events. The holiday season for Savannah kicked off on November 28^th with the annual Boat Parade of Lights on the Savannah River hosted by the Savannah Harbor Foundation. The Savannah Festival of Lights opened on November 28^th at the Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort and Spa. This year’s festival features a drive-through light show around Hutchinson Island Road Course, a Ferris wheel, a winter carnival, gingerbread village inside the hotel, and much more! This coming weekend, celebrate the holidays on historic River Street. Rousakis Plaza will be hosting local artists and entertainment all weekend. The Savannah Lighted Christmas Parade, kicking off at 5:30pm, will travel from West River Street through downtown and end at Ellis Square. Tybee Island celebrates the holiday season with Tybee for the Holidays with family friendly fun for the entire holiday season including: the Tybee Christmas Parade on December 6^th,  Fort Pulaski Candle Lantern Tours on December 19^th to 20^th, Tybee Island Tour de Lights Bike Parade on December 20^th, Tybee Floating Christmas Parade on December 21st, New Year’s Eve Fireworks and a Polar Plunge on New Year’s Day.  The 40^th Annual Holiday Tour of Homes in Downtown Savannah is December 12^th and 13^th.  Tour wonderfully decorated private homes and gardens. To help to get in the winter and cold-weather mindset,  head to the Savannah Civic Center for Skatefest at the Savannah Civic Center starting December 12^th through January 3rd.

Helping Out During the Holidays

The holidays are a time of giving and receiving. This is also the time of year when people can be in the most need. For charitable organizations, both nationally and locally, the holidays are the biggest fund-raising time of year. There are many organizations in the Savannah area that are helping fulfill the need for food, toys and other items this holiday season by holding toy collections, food drives and donation contests. Many local companies, retail shops and businesses are still taking donations and collecting food to help out the local food pantries during the holiday season. A portion of the fees for Savannah Harbor of Lights Festival is donated to local charities including One Voice, West Broad Street YMCA, Give One Glove, The Living Vine and many more. The Savannah Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia is the Savannah area’s food bank. Savannah’s Second Harvest has a yearly holiday food drive called “Feed It Forward” as well as other events throughout the year to donate to the organization.  Savannah Feed the Hungry Inc. hosts Christmas dinners during the holiday season in Savannah and Hinesville.  Savannah Feed the Hungry will provide a hot meal to over 6000 needy families during these dinners. The event will also help families in need with extra help for toys for Christmas, free health screenings and clothing. There are also holiday giving campaigns supported and run by national organizations during the season. The bell ringer and red kettles for the Salvation Army has been a traditional sight for decades.  The Marine Reserves are in charge of collecting new, unwrapped toys for Toys for Tots The Savannah area drop off points for Toys for Tots will be collecting toys through mid-December.

The holidays are time for family and friends to gather to enjoy the traditions of the season, enjoy the great outdoor holiday activities, and enjoy each other’s company. Stop N Stor wishes all of their customers, vendors, family and friends all the best this holiday season.