Images of the Santa Parade in Gatlinburg 2014

As temperatures drop and the snow starts heading towards Gatlinburg, let’s finally admit that it’s winter, that Thanksgiving is just days away, and that Christmas is in the air.

It’s winter lights kickoff week in the region and that means a whole lot of lights sparkling – millions of them in fact, and for the next four months of celebration. As the hundreds of thousands of visitors who come for the lights can attest, ’tis the season once again to be dazzled!

As the Christmas period draws closer it’s always good to remember what the time was originally about, and the Smoky Mountain Area Rescue Ministries organization achieves this every year with its Festival of Trees in Gatlinburg, a first taste of Christmas in the Smoky Mountains.