Photos by MATT GENTRY The Roanoke Times

Tommy Hodge untangles holiday lights in Pulaski's Jackson Park.

Tommy Hodge has been helping decorate the 85-foot-tall blue spruce Christmas tree in Pulaski's Jackson Park for more than 30 years.

About two weeks before putting lights on the tree, maintenance crews start pulling the lights out of storage and checking each strand for broken and nonworking lights.

Once all the lights are working, crews get a bucket truck and decorate the Jackson Park tree and another along Dora Highway.

"Sometimes, if it's windy, it can get pretty cold. But this year, it was actually nice," Hodge said.

The crew decorated the trees Nov. 24 in advance of Thursday's tree lighting ceremony.

Every year, crews also spend more than a week before Thanksgiving decorating the town with wreaths, bows and banners.

"It's fun, but it's work, too," Hodge said. "Sometimes I get tired doing it, but I love decorating."

And the holiday spirit isn't limited to Hodge's work life. Each year he decorates his home with lights and a Santa Claus on the roof.

"It's just getting to be more and more as the years go by, especially since I've gotten grandchildren," Hodge said.

It's that time of year, of course.

Across the New River Valley, most communities are planning some holiday activity -- parade, tree-lightings, special events -- over the next two weeks.

In Radford, planning begins for the Christmas tree lighting at the public library in late September or early October, said Toni Cox, public services librarian.

This year's celebration is scheduled for 7 p.m. Wednesday with a bell choir concert, carol singing, hot chocolate and homemade cookies.

The same bell choir -- made up of performers from Radford churches -- has performed each year, which makes things easier because everyone knows the routine, Cox said.

The staff has learned to rearrange the day's schedule so more people are on hand that night, Cox said. Employees lead carols and volunteers hand out hot chocolate and homemade cookies.

But planning has gotten easier since the city began the tree lighting celebration almost by accident eight years ago, Cox said.

"It was a fluke," she said. "It was during a regular story time, so we thought it would just be those people and a few extra people that showed up."

But many more showed up, and the staff expects 150 to 200 people this year, she said.

And word about the celebration gets around with little work by the library, Cox said.

"People call us and ask when the tree lighting will be," she said. "We don't hardly have to do any advertising."

And planning for Radford's annual Christmas parade starts even earlier.

Members of the Kiwanis Club parade committee, which puts on the event each year, decide the parade date in February or March, said Gary Kinder, parade committee chairman.

"We try to keep other dates like Radford University basketball games and city events in mind, which is why we plan so early," Kinder said.

In September, the club starting mailing out registration forms and a list of parade regulations to previous participants. Regulations are mostly for safety, such as handing candy to parade watchers instead of throwing it in the road to prevent children from darting out in the street, he said.

Registration forms are turned in through November, and once the registration process is complete, Kinder makes the parade lineup.

As of Monday afternoon, the parade had about 60 entries, including fire departments, churches, Scouts, civic groups and businesses.

And, of course, Santa Claus.

He tries to space the entries evenly so similar entries aren't grouped together, he said.

There's also city permits to obtain, meetings with the police department and public works department for escorts and road closures, meetings with Radford University for use of parking lots for parade lineup and letting VDOT know that U.S. 11, a main thoroughfare, will be partially closed.

"There's a lot more that goes into planning than people think," Kinder said.

Holiday events

Here are some of the free holiday events planned this month in the New River Valley:

Wednesday
Radford Christmas Tree Lighting: Featuring a bell choir concert, hot cocoa and caroling from 7 to 8 p.m. at the Radford library

Thursday
Pulaski Holiday Celebration: Roast marshmallows, decorate a cookie, sing Christmas carols and watch the town tree be lit from 5:30 to 7 p.m. in Jackson Park

Friday
Blacksburg Winter Lights Festival: TubaChristmas, the annual parade and Christmas tree lighting from 4 to 8 p.m. downtown Dickens of a Christmas: 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. in downtown Floyd

Saturday
Radford Christmas Parade: 4 p.m. downtown Pembroke Christmas Parade: 5 p.m. starting at the Pembroke Athletic Field

Sunday
Floyd Christmas Parade: 3 p.m. downtown Pearisburg Christmas Parade: 4 p.m. downtown

Dec. 10 Pulaski Christmas Parade: 7 p.m. downtown

Dec. 11 Christiansburg Christmas Parade: 7 p.m. downtown

Dec. 12 Dublin Christmas Parade: 11 a.m. starting at Dublin Middle School