NATCHEZ — Thanksgiving is at hand and Black Friday is fast-approaching.

No doubt Christmas shopping and family get-togethers will be high on the lists of many people this weekend.

Once the Black Friday deals have been had, however, the fun begins as Christmas in Natchez gets underway with the annual Lighting of the Christmas Tree in downtown Natchez on Friday evening.

Organizers had originally scheduled the tree lighting for Saturday evening but announced Tuesday that the event had been rescheduled for Friday evening due to concerns of inclement weather forecast for Saturday

Lighting of the Tree events begin at 4 p.m. Friday, Nov. 29, in the lobby of Home Bank, 500 Main St., and word has it that Santa himself will be on hand along with fun rides, activities for the children and food vendors.

Natchez Ballet will perform excerpts from “The Nutcracker” at 6 p.m. Friday and caroling and the tree lighting will be from 6:15-6:30 p.m. Friday.

Then, Christmas in Natchez events will continue next week at 7 p.m. Dec. 6, when the Natchez Festival of Music will present the “Ringin’ Swinging Christmas” musical performance by Maryann Kyle, Jessica Medoff and Daivd Walker at the Natchez Community Center. Individual tickets are $40 each or $350 for a table of 10. Visit natchezfestivalofmusic.com for more details or to purchase tickets.

Then at 6 p.m. Dec. 7, Natchez will have the city’s annual Christmas parade.

Check out the Christmas in Natchez social media pages to sign up to participate in the parade. The theme this year is “Christmas Magic” and line-up begins at 4:30 p.m. Dec. 7 on Broadway Street.

Caroling in Memorial Park will be 6 p.m. Dec. 13. The theme this year is “The Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” with bands and choirs from throughout the area participating.

Visit the “Christmas in Natchez” Facebook page, or go to VisitNatchez.org, to find more about all the details.