The Christmas season is officially underway in the city of Vicksburg.

Downtown Vicksburg marked the beginning of the season Sunday with the Old Fashion Christmas Open House and the annual lighting of the holly tree outside of city hall.

Sunday was the second day of a busy holiday weekend for shops in downtown Vicksburg as they celebrated Small Business Saturday and the Christmas open house on consecutive days.

“They’ve been real good,” Bobbie Marascalco, the owner of Peterson’s, said of the crowds over the weekend. “It is good exposure for people who don’t come downtown a lot to see what we have to offer. It creates some enthusiasm.”

Businesses that aren’t typically open on Sundays held special hours and sales during the open house as they kicked off their busiest time of the year.

“It is very good, but I can’t complain about the rest of the year,” Karen Ruggles, owner of The Cinnamon Tree, said of the Christmas season.

“There are a lot of tourists with the boats, but the Christmas season is always the best time of the year. There’s no doubt about that.”

Peterson’s and The Cinnamon Tree will open on Sundays through Christmas as shoppers look for unique presents that can only be found in the downtown boutiques.

“We aren’t open Sundays by rule, but now we will be open every Sunday until Christmas except I don’t know about Christmas Eve,” Marascalco said.

Shoppers who attended the open house and spent at least $25 were treated to a free poinsettia.

After spending the early afternoon shopping, downtown visitors were able to make their way to city hall for the fourth annual Christmas tree lighting.

The holly tree next to the main entrance was decorated with lights and ornaments and Mayor George Flaggs Jr. did the honor of flipping the switch to turn on the lights.

“Thank all of you for coming out, but more importantly I want to thank you for joining us in the lighting of our Christmas tree and beginning our celebration of Christ’s birth,” Flaggs said. “I would ask you to do something for us, the city of Vicksburg, as we go through this Christmas season. Let’s find an angle tree. Let’s find someone that is less fortunate than us and let’s try to give somebody a gift of love.”

The ceremony included multiple musical performances by Jason Moulder, from Beautiful Deliverance Church, the choir from Calvary Baptist Church and Ebony Berry Gardner and Jannifer Fisher Banks from Greater Grove MB Church.

“I am proud to be in the city of Vicksburg and I am proud to serve,” South Ward Alderman Alex Monsour said. “The city of Vicksburg has a good future with this Board of Mayor and Aldermen. We are ready to roll and I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Thank you all for coming out.”

Flaggs said the Board of Mayor and Aldermen started the annual ceremony during his first year in office in 2013 and it has become a tradition in Vicksburg to mark the beginning of the Christmas season.