Although so far, most signs of the upcoming Christmas holiday are the displays of merchandise confronting shoppers in almost every store around town, other clues of the impending celebration are on the horizon.

For example, a drive down Jones in the evening reveals lights on several buildings and the gazebo at the Circle of Care United Methodist Children’s Home, a portent of the lights that soon will sparkle from Northeastern State University at Tahlequah’s north end, to the Cherokee Nation on the south.

After partaking their fill of turkey and football, many local residents will venture outdoors this weekend, weather permitting, to deck their homes in a like manner.

A centerpiece of any Christmas season is the annual holiday parade, and this year’s event, at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 11, will feature plenty of lights, cameras and actions, with its theme, “A Christmas in Cinema.”

Of course, the parade will have its share of bands, community groups, royalty, classic cars and horses.

Float entries may choose to build their themes around such beloved holiday films as “It’s a Wonderful Life,” “White Christmas,” or “A Christmas Story,” or a variety of other classics. The Tahlequah Area Chamber of Commerce has information on entering the parade.

That weekend will be the busiest of the holiday season, with the parade kicking off the events.

Northeastern State University will draw people in for entertainment and an extravaganza. The Sequoyah Institute will present Cantus, one of America’s most renowned all-male vocal ensembles, along with Theater Latte Da, in “All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914.” The performance of traditional Christmas music reflects the true story of troops along the battle line in 1914, when they halted their hostilities for the holiday.

The performance will begin at 3 p.m. Dec. 12 at the Tahlequah High School Performing Arts Center. For ticket information, call the Sequoyah Institute, 456-5511, ext. 4500.

NSU also will host one of the final events of its Centennial year, the Emerald Ball, at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 12 at the University Center Ballroom. This year’s ball will have a centennial theme. Tickets are $75.

Whether you like to see a historic house or the latest in home fashion, all decorated for the holiday, Dec. 13 will be your chance to do so. The historic Murrell Home at Park Hill will hold its ninth annual Christmas Open House from 1 to 5 p.m., while the home also will be the site for the reception at the annual American Association of University Women home tour, from 1:30 to 5 p.m., with six homes besides the Murrell Home being featured.

The theme of the festivities at the 1845 mansion, which will be decorated in Christmas styles of the 1800s, is everybody’s favorite, “Father Christmas Through the Years.” Many children may not recognize Santa without his red suit or in his former incarnations, but they’ll get the chance to meet a variety of Father Christmases at the Murrell Home.

“It’s going to be really busy around the Murrell Home,” said Amanda Pritchett, historical interpreter. “We’ll have 13 people in costume as Father Christmas — and there may be a couple more. They’ll be all over the house.”

As people meet the various Father Christmases, who hail from traditions from Russia, Turkey, Holland, Ireland, France and the United States, they also can listen to traditional holiday music.

For the first time, a group of 19th century items from the Murrell family will be displayed.

These items have been donated to the home over the past year. There also will be a silent auction to raise money for preservation and interpretation of the historic site. For more information, call the home at 456-2751.

Every year, the AAUW sells a commemorative ornament featuring a historic site in the Tahlequah area. This year the ornament, designed by Irene Wickham, will depict the Murrell Home. The ornaments, as well as tickets for the AAUW Homes for the Holidays tour, will be for sale at the Murrell Home on the afternoon of the tour for $6, or in advance for $5, by calling Wickham at 456-5584.

Homes on the tour include another historic house, the Jack Brown house on the Sequoyah Schools campus; and the homes of Betty and Dennis Vaughn, Sue and Jerry Catron, Pam and Dr. Charles Gosnell, Janell and David Meigs, Ginger Brown and the Jack Brown House. (See page 1C for a feature on one of the houses.)

The homes are decorated according to the owners’ tastes, and contain memorabilia and items the owners have collected over the years. People on the tour also can pick up baked goods from AAUW members’ kitchens at the Goodie Shoppe, in one of the homes. Proceeds from the tour will finance AAUW programs, including scholarships for women.

If you’d like to get a look at Christmas in Tahlequah’s other showcase 19th century home on the weekend before the Murrell Home and AAUW events, come to the Thompson House, corner of College Avenue and West Choctaw Street, for its annual Christmas Open House, Dec. 4-6. You’ll not only get a look at the Victorian lady decked out in her holiday finery, but a chance to purchase Christmas ornaments, gifts and other craft items, plus a variety of baked goods.

Hours will be 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday.

“We’ll have all manner of wonderful things, like we always do,” said Beth Herrington, longtime Thompson House supporter. “The house is already beautifully decorated.”

The garlands, wreaths and decorations the Friends of the Thompson House have in place will serve as a backdrop for creations by more than a dozen craftspeople. Each year, they bring their latest creations of candles, Christmas ornaments, jewelry, pottery and other treasures.

“We’ll have a lot of beautiful decorations that people can’t wait to come and see,” Herrington said. “It’ll be a great opportunity for people who have not seen the house to come and see it. They can explore it upstairs and down.”

Another holiday tradition is “The Nutcracker.” This year the Tahlequah Ballet Co. is offering a revised and expanded version of the performance.

The show will begin at 7 p.m. Dec. 5 and 2 p.m. Dec. 6 at the Tahlequah High School Performing Arts Center. Tickets are $12 and $10. They are available at On Your Toes Inc., 104 E. Choctaw, from 3:30 to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, or by calling 207-0111.

Yet another historic Tahlequah structure, Seminary Hall, will glow with lights during the season, after the lights officially are turned on during a ceremony at 5:30 p.m. Dec. 7. NSU President Dr. Don Betz and First Lady Susanne Betz will lead the program, which will include holiday carols performed by NSU students, the reading of “The Night Before Christmas,” hot chocolate, and the chance for youngsters to visit with St. Nick.

Lights are always a highlight of the holidays, and Tahlequah has plenty to offer, from drives through the neighborhoods to the popular lighting at Sequoyah City Park and the Cherokee Capitol Square.

For those who want to venture a bit farther, Muskogee and its Garden of Lights are just a half-hour away. Honor Heights Park will open the Garden of Lights Thanksgiving evening, and visitors will be greeted from dusk to 10 p.m. through New Year’s.

More than a million lights illuminate the famed azalea gardens and are wound up the trees, and the park is punctuated by natural displays, such as leaping deer, fish and ducks on the ponds, and children throwing snowballs or sledding down a hill.

“It’s not just the Garden of Lights any more,” said Treasure McKenzie, Muskogee tourism director. “You drive through the Garden of Lights, and then go through the Christmas Kingdom at the Castle of Muskogee. We think it’s the world’s largest inflatable display. It’s the sheer magnitude that impresses you.”

Admission to the Garden of Lights is free; however, many people donate $1 or $2 per car at the exit for maintenance and expansion of the displays.

Viewing the collection of inflatables at the Castle also is free, with hot chocolate available inside for a charge. Santa also will be on hand to hear youngsters’ requests at the Castle, and the Grinch will be hovering around as well.

About 100,000 people are expected to tour the Garden of Lights.

One thing sets the display apart from others, which may include a hodgepodge of lighted Santas and reindeers, nativity scenes, nutcracker soldiers and the like, McKenzie said.

When the Garden of Lights was conceived years ago, organizers decided to focus on the park’s natural beauty and make it appear that the azaleas were blooming in mid-winter. They included only scenes that would be natural to the park.

“It’s a celebration of the natural beauty of the park,” McKenzie said.

“The huge waterfall that comes down from the hill is gorgeous.”