HOLIDAY ACTIVITIES COMMENCE

Lights are going up, carols can be heard and Santa is preparing to make his appearances in the area, where he'll be chauffeured in a convertible, parachute from a plane and be honored guest in a couple of parades.

Christmas is still more than a month away, but holiday activities kick into high gear beginning today. Get out your calendars and start making plans for these holiday activities.

Santa Claus is comingSanta manages to make two appearances today.* He'll arrive at 11 a.m. at Westfield Shoppingtown West Park Mall, being chauffeured there in an S2000 convertible courtesy of Wieser Honda. Once inside the mall, Santa will go to JC Penney court to awaken Talking Teddy, who will be available to chat throughout the holiday season. Santa will settle into a new home at the mall this year. Santa will be in his home daily through Dec. 26. Santa's hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays. Talking Teddy's hours are 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 to 8 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturdays and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays.* Santa also is getting a new home in Jackson during this holiday season. Gonewill be the unheated hut that sat on the courthouse lawn. This year Santa will be housed at the High Street Center in a decorated room that can be seen from the street. Santa will arrive in Jackson today in conjunction with the Jackson Area Merchants Association's "Jackson Open House and Old Fashioned Christmas." Santa will arrive about 10 a.m. He will be in his room in Jackson each Saturday through the holidays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.* Santa will skydive into Cape Girardeau on Nov. 27 when he parachutes onto the parking lot at Just Kid's World in Town Plaza shopping center. Santa and two elves will parachute in around noon, then visit in the stores of participating Town Plaza merchants until around 3:30 p.m.

Parades* "Songs of Christmas" will be the theme for the Cape Girardeau Downtown Merchants Association's seventh annual Parade of Lights, which starts about 5 p.m. Nov. 28. More than 100 lighted entries are expected and all are being encouraged to feature some kind of music. A float featuring Santa will end the parade. The parade lines up at Capaha Park, marches down Broadway then takes a right onto Main. There are decorations now up over Broadway and Main and many stores will be decorated in time for the parade. * The annual Jackson Jaycee Christmas Parade will be held December 4 at 1:30 p.m., starting at the south end of High Street and proceed down Main in Jackson. The theme will be "Christmas Dreams." More than 150 entries are expected, including floats, marching bands, motorcycles, horses, dancers and Santa Claus. For information on entering the parade, call 243-8131.

Holiday displays* The Holiday of Lights display in Cape Girardeau County Park North can be viewed from dusk to 11:30 p.m. nightly from Nov. 24 through Jan. 31. A lighting ceremony, which will feature music and hot chocolate, will begin at 5:45 p.m. Wednesday at shelter No. 8. This year there will be 197 displays.* Hutson's Furniture will rip down the paper hiding its holiday display on Nov. 25, revealing the newest display in this 37-year tradition. Every year the store at 43 S. Main creates a new display. The only hint Chris Hutson would give about this year's display is that it involves a new train. The window can be viewed from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Nov. 25-Jan. 1.* The Holiday of Lights contest judges the best home and business holiday displays in Cape Girardeau. To enter, pick up an entry form at the Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors Bureau or the Chamber of Commerce, then have your house decorated and the lights on during the judging, from 6 to 8 p.m. Dec. 6. The contest is sponsored by the Beautification Committee of the Chamber of Commerce.

Once the winners have been selected, the Convention and Visitors Bureau will put together a map showing the winners and will sponsor a Holiday of Lights Bus Tour, which will be Dec. 17 and 18. Cost is $1 per person. Tickets are available at the Convention and Visitors Bureau, 100 Broadway. Call 335-1631 for more information.* A Senior Tour of Lights, sponsored by the SALT/Triad Council, will be held Dec. 16. The bus tour of lighted houses just for senior citizens will begin at 6 p.m. when buses will leave the Cape Girardeau Senior Center, 921 N. Clark St. After the approximately one-hour tour, there will be a musical program and refreshments at the senior center. The tour is free, but reservations are required by calling 335-1352.* The Scott City Historical Preservation Commission and the Sunny Village Garden Club are sponsoring an exterior Christmas Home Decoration Contest. Homes will be judged Dec. 20. For information, call (573) 264-3187.