DeSoto County welcomes Santa with Christmas parades

Photo: Santa and his elves welcomes the holiday season at last year’s Hernando Christmas parade. (Bob Bakken/desotocountynews.com)

As the Thanksgiving holiday has come and gone, DeSoto County gets ready to welcome the Christmas holiday season with parades set to start this weekend.  

Southaven, Walls, and Olive Branch all plan to hold their Christmas parades on Saturday, Dec. 2, followed on Monday, December 4 with the Hernando Christmas parade. Horn Lake will complete the Christmas parade circuit on Saturday, Dec. 9. 

Two changes in the parade schedule this year will be in Southaven and in Horn Lake.

This year’s Southaven event will take place in the morning, starting from Southpoint Church, at 10 a.m. In the past, the Southaven parade has been a Saturday evening affair. 

The Horn Lake Christmas parade will step off from Horn Lake Middle School at 3:30 p.m. on Dec. 9 and end at Latimer Lakes Park. The Horn Lake parade was held in the morning last year.   

The Walls parade will begin at 12 noon on Saturday, Dec. 2 and Olive Branch will have its traditional parade that afternoon at 2 p.m.  

Hernando’s parade to welcome the holiday season will again be an evening event on Monday, Dec. 4, starting at 6:30 p.m.