• The Fraternal Order of Police Toy and Food Drive in Sachse
  • Bring donations to the Police Station locations in Sachse or to City Hall, 5560 Hwy. 78. If you have any questions or know of a family in need, please contact either Officer Ronnie Davis or Sergeant Richard Oliver at 972-495-2271 ext. 154.

• Sixth Annual Sachse High School Turkey Trot
  • The Turkey Trot will take place at 8 am. at Sachse High school, 3901 Miles Road.  There will be a 1 mile and 3 mile certified walk/fun run, live DJ and trophies for top finishers. All proceeds benefit the Sachse High School Class of 2011 senior activities.

• KCS Holiday Express
  • Visit with Santa Claus, walk through holiday train cars filled with wonder, enjoy festive foods and play on the inflatable’s at the Oak Street Crossing, just west of downtown between Birmingham Ave. and Cottonbelt Ave. 

• Last Day for Exchange Club Children’s Winter Wear Drive
  • The Exchange Club of Murphy is holding a Winter Gear Drive to benefit the Collin County Children’s Advocacy Center. Club members are asking for gently used donations of scarves, mittens, gloves, sweaters, sweatshirts, coats, jackets, etc. Donations can be dropped off at the UPS Store in Murphy through Dec.1. Contact Richard Taylor at exchangeclubofmurphy@gmail.com with any questions.

• Wylie FFA’s Feed Wylie Project.
  
  • From now through Christmas, anyone bringing a can of food to Murphy’s Baskin-Robbins located at 158 W. FM 544 Ste. 122, will receive a free scoop of ice cream. Those who bring two cans of tuna will get a free sundae and for every ice cream cake sold, Baskin-Robbins will donate $3 to Wylie FFA’s Feed Wylie project.

• 11th Annual Sachse Chamber of Commerce and City of Sachse Christmas Tree Lighting
  • Come enjoy the tree lighting, sing Christmas carols and walk over to the Chamber office for refreshments from 5:30 to 7 pm (all for free) at the Red Caboose, 5941 Hwy. 78.

• City of Murphy’s Annual Tree Lighting Ceremony
  • From 6-8 p.m., there will be local choirs, refreshments and a very special “jolly” guest at the Murphy Complex to kick off the holiday. Call 972-468-4000 for details.

• The Wylie East High School Holiday Choir Show

• Christmas Story Time with Santa
  • The Sachse Library will host Christmas stories and snacks with Santa at 6:30 p.m. At 7:30 the Sachse High School Madrigal Singers will perform songs of the season. Guests will receive a special gift from the library.

• Murphy Road Baptist Church Olde Town Christmas
  • Murphy Road will offer an Old Town Christmas from 7 to 9 p.m. Dec. 3 through 5 on the church grounds located at 411 S. Murphy Rd. Church officials said the event is “a walkthrough Christmas experience.” For more information, call 927-424-6026.

• Wylie Arts Festival
  • The festival will take place in Olde City Park in downtown Wylie from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Shop for fine art and handmade crafts, listen to the sounds of the season, watch holiday cooking demonstrations, enjoy festive foods and watch the Festival of Lights Christmas Parade before the annual Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony at 7 p.m. With arts and crafts booths, children’s storytelling, food, a children’s area, cooking demonstrations and entertainment, there is something for everyone. Visit www.ci.wylie.tx.us/events/arts_festival.jsp for more information.
     
• Festival of Lights Christmas Parade
  • The First Baptist Church of Wylie and the Wylie Downtown Merchants will present a Christmas parade on Ballard Ave. at 5:30 p.m. Sign up at www.fbcwylie.org.
     
• The Wylie Women’s League First Pancake Breakfast with Santa
  • There will be two breakfast seating times at Fire Station #3 in Wylie. The first is from 8-9 a.m. and the second from 9:30-10:30 a.m. Purchase your ticket early from any WWl member or visit www.wyliewl.org. Pre-purchased tickets are $10 for a family of 4 (extra tickets are $2.50) and tickets are the event are $3.50 per person. Each family member will need a ticket for the event. Bring your camera for pictures with Santa.

• First Baptist Church of Wylie Christmas Celebration
  • The FBC will have their children’s Christmas music at 5:30 followed by a “Happy Birthday Jesus” Party at 6:30.

• Pictures with Santa
  • The Wylie East cheerleaders will offer pictures with Santa at Shoemaker & Hardt, from noon to 2 p.m.

Dec. 8:

• Sachse Chamber Business Network Luncheon
  
  • The Sachse Chamber will hold a luncheon at Northplace Church, 2709 3rd St. in Sachse from 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. The price is $15 if RSVP is received by 5 p.m. the day prior. If no RSVP is received or you are not a chamber member, the fee is $20. www.sachsechamber.com

• Men Who Cook
  • Presented by the Sachse Chamber of Commerce, “celebrity ‘chefs’” from the community will prepare and share their “famous” recipes. Guests will sample each “chef’s” creation while enjoying music, drinks and dancing for an evening of holiday fun. The event will take place from 6:30-9 p.m. at Swingin’ D Ranch in Parker. For tickets or more information call 972-496-4771 or go to www.sachsechamber.com.

• Breakfast in Bethlehem
  • From 6:30-8 p.m., the First Baptist Church of Wylie will serve “Breakfast in Bethlehem” in their new event center.

• Worldwide Candle Lighting
  • The Compassionate Friends invites all people around the globe to join hearts to honor all children who have died “That their light may always shine...”
  • Locally, he candle lighting will be held at Wylie United Methodist Church, corner of 1378 & McMillen Rd. in Wylie.
  • Globally, candles are lit by tens of thousands of families, united in loss, in an act of remembrance at the largest mass candle lighting in the world. Candles are first lit at 7 p.m. local time, just west of the International Date Line. As candles burn down in one time zone, they are lit in the next, creating at 24-hour wave of light at the observance continues around the world.

• Christmas in Sachse, Texas Style – 2nd Annual Parade
  • All bands, choirs, dance groups, scout troops, church groups and organizations who would like to participate in the parade are invited. The parade will line up in the Park Lake Church parking lot, 3702 Sachse Road at 8:30 a.m. for the 9 a.m. start of the parade. The parade will travel down Miles Road, ending at Sachse High School, approximately one mile. The theme is Texas Christmas. To register a float please call Denise Vice at 469-429-4771 or Cynthia Wiseman at 469-429-0275.

• Cookies with Santa
  • Following the Sachse parade, visit City Hall, 5560 Hwy. 78, from 10-11:30 a.m. Children under the age of 10 can visit Santa and receive a small gift. There will also be refreshments, music and stories. Bring a canned good or non-perishable food item to receive a raffle ticket entered in the drawing for great prizes throughout the event.

• Breakfast in Bethlehem
  • From 8-10:30 a.m., the First Baptist Church of Wylie will serve “Breakfast in Bethlehem” in their new event center.

• Sachse Holiday Lighting Contest Judging
  • Anyone interested in entering the lighting contest must fill out a registration form available in the city’s holiday newsletter sent to each home the first of December or on the city’s Web site. Judging will be between 6 and 9 p.m.
     
• FBC Wylie’s Adult Music at Christmas
  • The event will begin at 5:30 at the First Baptist Church of Wylie.

• The Children’s Chorus of Collin County
  • The holiday concert “Winter Lights…A Twinkle, a Flicker, a Glow,” performed by the Children’s Chorus of Collin County, will take place at 7 p.m. at St. Andrew United Methodist Church, 5801 W. Plano Pkwy. Featured guest artists will be the Davidson Brothers, a local trio of professional singers. Tickets are $8 for adults. School aged children are free. For additional information visit www.childrenschorusofcollincounty.org or call 972-941-9600.

• Murphy Chamber Luncheon Meeting
  • The Murphy Chamber will meet at the Woodbridge Golf Club Pavilion for their Christmas party at 11:30 a.m. There will be no speaker. Visit the chamber Web site, www.murphychamber.org, to make a reservation.

• The Cooper Junior High and Draper Intermediate School Winter Band Concert
  • At Wylie High School.

• The Pride of the East Holiday Concert

• Heard Museum Trail of Lights
  • See thousands of twinkling holiday lights along the Dinosaurs Alive! Nature trail and enjoy festive activities including a Christmas tree lighting, live entertainment on the outdoor amphitheatre stage, family pictures with Father Christmas and Mother Nature in the festively decorated Heard log cabin, an Artisan’s Market for perfect holiday gifts and complimentary hot chocolate and cider provided by Preservation of Tree Services. The event is 6:30-9:30 p.m. and costs $5 for adults, $3 for kids aged 3-12, and free for children 2 and under. Groups of $20 or more will receive $1 off each ticket sold. More information is available at www.heardmuseum.org.

• The Plano Symphony Orchestra presents “Home for the Holidays”
  • Collin County’s most popular holiday tradition is back! “Home for the Holidays” will feature Laurie Gayle Stephenson and the Friendship-West Baptist Church Choir. The Symphony will perform Sat., Dec. 19 at 4 p.m. at Frisco High School and Sun., Dec. 20 at 4 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at St. Andrew United Methodist Church. For tickets call the PSO ticket office at 972-473-7262 or visit www.planosymphony.org to order online. Reserved seating costs from $9-$37. Student and group rates are available. Tickets purchased at the door will be an additional $2.

• Silent Lord’s Supper
  • The event will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the First Baptist Church of Wylie.

• Christmas Eve Services
  • The First Baptist Church of Wylie will hold Christmas Eve services from 4:30-6 p.m.

• First Baptist Church of Wylie Sunday Service
  • Services will be at 9:15 and 10:45 a.m. There will be no Sunday School or 8 a.m. service.