Talk about getting the most bang for your buck! There are lots of great ways to experience the holidays this weekend in and around Shreveport-Bossier City. You can choose to check out one or two of the events, or go for the marathon session like I’m planning to do. Here’s the scoop:

1. Christmas in Roseland kicks off tomorrow (Friday, Nov. 30) at the American Rose Center and lasts through Dec. 26. This is a Northwest Louisiana tradition, and with good reason. Millions of lights and holiday scenes are set up throughout acres upon acres of gardens. There will be Santa, live holiday entertainment, and even oversize Christmas cards made by local school children. Cost is $5 per person up to 3 people. For cars, vans and SUV’s with 4 or more people, the cost is $15 per vehicle.

2. Country Christmas Festival in Vivian, LA - about 25 minutes north of Shreveport on Hwy 2. Few things speak to the nostalgia of the holidays quite like a smalltown Christmas parade and festival. Saturday. FREE!

3. As you head your way back into town from the Country Christmas Festival, stop off in Oil City for the Christmas on Caddo Fireworks Festival. If you missed Rockets Over the Red last weekend, here’s the way to get your firework fix. Festivities start at 4 p.m. with fireworks at 6:30 p.m. Saturday. FREE!

4. For the animal lover, there’s Christmas for the Critters! Make special holiday treats for our furry and feathered friends, then decorate a forest tree just for the wild things. Saturday in Blanchard, LA (just northwest of Shreveport). FREE!

5. Finally, shop the night away at the Louisiana Boardwalk in Bossier City. Santa will be there as well, along with carolers, bands, and more.

To see the rest of the events happening this weekend (yes, there’s more!), see the calendar of events page on this site. And don’t forget to check out the other cities on the trail - Jefferson, Marshall, and Kilgore, TX and Natchitoches, LA.

Jean Shepherd’s classic comedy “A Christmas Story” will hold several performances on November 30, December 1, 6-8 & 15 at the historic Jefferson Playhouse.

Parking is anywhere you can find a spot, on the street, or in the parking lot of the nearby First Methodist Church.

This entertaining, holiday play is about a little boy who only wanted a Red Rider BB Gun for Christmas, but was warned “You’ll shoot you eye out kid!” This is such a classic and timeless delight for all ages and a must-see.

Ticket prices are: $15 for each performance. The location of the Jefferson Playhouse is on Market & Henderson Streets. Reservations can be made by calling (903)665-2513.

Also check out “The Big Toy” a Christmas melodrama, Nov. 16-Dec. 22. In the tiny mountain village of Rankin-Bass coffins are big business. Due to the miserly, mean-spirited Johann Sebastian Practique, a dark cloud hangs over this coffin capital of the world. The silver lining in this dark cloud is Tim and Toby Toy, proprietors of Toy’s Toy Shoppe. They, along with the widow, Ima Sweet, and her two children are the only hopes for defeating Practique’s villainous plot to destroy all non-coffin related businesses, including the Toy’s Shoppe. Will Tim and Toby prevail? Will the kind and jovial Mayor bend to Practique’s pressure? Will the children have toys for Christmas? Will Ima land a husband? Will the Christmas spirit triumph over evil?

To discover the answers to these questions, visit the Bull Durham Playhouse in Jefferson, Texas. Laugh, cheer, boo, hiss and throw popcorn at Practique when the delightful holiday favorite “The Big Toy” returns to the stage each Friday and Saturday, Nov. 16-Dec. 22. To make a reservation call (903)665-6481 or go to www.bulldurhamplayhouse.com.

Hi, I’m Brandy. I want to personally invite you to come out and help us flip the holiday lights on in Shreveport-Bossier City, Louisiana at our annual December on the Red Lighting Ceremony. We’re partnering with ICE, a Red River Revel event, to bring half price ice skating for one night only to the public.

We’ll signify the official start of the holidays in our sister cities, 6 p.m., Monday, Nov. 19, at Festival Plaza in downtown Shreveport. The lighting ceremony is free to attend, but ice skating costs $5. We’re going to have entertainment and concessions. There will be some hands-on activities for the kids and pictures with Santa.

Ice skaters will also get a chance to share the rink with the players from the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs Hockey team and mascot.

And we don’t want our furry, four-legged friends to miss out on all the fun. New this year to the December on the Red event is a Reindog Contest. Dress your pet up in a holiday themed costume and parade them for a chance to win a prize. Registration for a pet is $10. To get some clever ideas visit: http://www.chicagobotanic.org/dog/index.php.

Just a few tips, arrive early. Street parking is available. Additional parking space is located behind the Civic Center facing Commerce Street and in the lot near J. Bennett Johnston Waterway Regional Visitor Center and Sci-Port Discovery Center on Clyde Fant Parkway.

If you attend, we’d love to hear about your experience. Visit our blog often for updates and tips to plan the best holiday experience.

Welcome to the Holiday Trail of Lights blog! Let us introduce ourselves. Our names are Brandy and Jessica and we’ll be taking turns blogging about what’s happening on the Holiday Trail of Lights. The Trail consists of all the holiday events and attractions in Natchitoches, Shreveport, and Bossier City, Lousiana, and Marshall, Jefferson, and Kilgore, Texas.

In this blog we’ll try to give you the low-down on some select events before they happen and include insider’s tips about how to make the most of your experience. Afterward, we’ll do a re-cap of the highlights so you can post your experience, too. We look forward to hearing from you!