The holidays bring the opportunity to eat, shop, decorate and ring in a new year.

Because the holiday season is a time where many families make financial, nutritional and parenting decisions, the Alcorn State University Extension Program is hoping to offer some holiday tips Nov. 2 during its Holiday Affair Expo.

“We try to benefit the public and provide information to the public that can be utilized during the holidays and year round. We are trying to cover things residents need to take particular protection against during the holidays,” Mattie Rasco, co-chair for the expo and a nutrition specialist for the extension program, said. “This is one of the signature programs, and it provides a lot of useful information to the public.”

The Holiday Affair Expo will focus on family and consumer sciences issues and will feature local speakers addressing issues Rasco said become prevalent during the holidays.

Topics to be discussed include fraud prevention, safety tips, budgeting, nutritional information, food safety instruction, holiday food demonstrations, and even decorating tips, she said.

For example, a speaker from the Sheriff’s Office will explain how to protect oneself when out and about during the holidays.

“A lot of times if people are out and about, there’s a tendency to have more unsafe situations like fraud and identity theft,” she explained.

The event, in its second year, originated in Port Gibson, and Rasco said the extension program thought it would work well in Vicksburg.

“We had a lot of success in Port Gibson and thought that people in Vicksburg would benefit also,” she said.

Registration for the free event, being held at the Vicksburg City Auditorium, will take place from 9 to 10 a.m.

An information fair will take place at the same time for those who have checked in to browse information from local health agencies, business and other entities on a variety of subjects, like how to choose the best running shoes or how to properly fit a bra, Rasco said, noting the event is open to both adults and teenagers, who will have separate “very interactive” programming.

“We’re geared to providing information to empower families,” she said.

The event, which includes a free lunch, will begin in earnest at 10 a.m., Rasco said.

“A lot of stuff will be available to help people maintain a health lifestyle,” she said. “We try to get people from the local community to come in and provide the information.”