Back by popular demand, Carthage Main Street will once again host Breakfast with Santa on Saturday, December 14th from 9:00 - 11:00 a.m. at the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame. Along with breakfast, each child will have an opportunity to visit with and have a picture made with Santa. They will also have a chance to work on a holiday craft project. Parents are welcome to bring their own cameras.

Tickets are $10 each and can be purchased at the Panola County Chamber of Commerce located at 300 W. Panola beginning on Monday, November 11th at 9:00 a.m. Due to the large number of children involved, parents will also need to purchase a ticket and be seated at the table with their child/children. Tickets are limited and will not be sold at the door the day of the event.

Come enjoy the excitement of Christmas with your child on December 14th.

Bring the kids by for "Cookies and Cocoa with Santa" at Panola College on Wednesday, December 4th from 4 to 7 p.m. Santa will make a special trip from the North Pole to be on hand to greet children and adults alike in the foyer of the Charles C. Matthews Foundation Student Center to kick off the Spirit of Christmas.

KTBS Channel 3 will accompany Santa for their Jingle and Mingle. Meteorologist, Joe Haynes, and the team will be on site to do the weather forecast live from Panola College from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Santa will be available to hear children's Christmas wish lists and to pose for photos. Complimentary cookies and cocoa will be available.

*Santa photos will not be printed on site. Parents are welcome to take their own photos and Panola College will post photos on social media after the event. This is a come and go event and is free of charge.

Panola College students who have children under the age of 12 are eligible to participate in a new Angel Tree program this Christmas season.

"We understand that paying for college often creates a financial burden on students, and we don't want their children to miss out on having Christmas gifts," said Kelly Reed-Hirsch, Dean of Health Sciences.

The project's goal is to provide "something they want, something they need, and something to read" for children under age 12.

To participate, Panola College students should fill out an application form at https://form.jotform.com/PanolaMain/panola-college-angel-tree-registrat.

The form asks for the child's first name, gender, clothing and shoe sizes, and a toy wish or other needs such as diapers or formula.

College students who don't have children may use the form to request items from the "Comfort Closet," which provides food, toiletries, basic needs items, towels, blankets, etc.

The form will be available through November 17. Faculty, staff, students and community members may select angels from November 18 through December 9. Angel Trees will be available in the Charles C. Matthews Foundation Student Center in Carthage, and in the Marshall Mall and Shelby Regional Training Center locations.

Tax-deductible online donations to the project may be made at https://www.panola.edu/feedtheneed When making an online donation, indicate in the notes line that the donation is in support of the Angel Tree Project.

For more information, contact Reed-Hirsch at 903-694-4022 or Whitney McBee at 903-693-2000.

"If you are a Panola College student - whether you're full-time, part-time, or online - at any of our campuses, you are eligible to submit an application to be considered," said Reed-Hirsch.


PHOTO CAPTION: The Panola College Angel Tree project will help make Christmas a little brighter for eligible students' children.