Here’s a rundown on the Christmas festivities in Salem this weekend:

Submitted photo of Jacob Nash and Santa from 2009.

Friday, December 3

Bundle up and head over to the Salem Farmers Market at 6 p.m. for the lighting of the Salem City Christmas Tree, then pick a good spot for the Salem Christmas Parade – it’s scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. and climb up Main Street from the Salem Ice Cream Parlor to the intersection of College Avenue. (By the way, the parade is sponsored by the Salem Roanoke County Chamber of Commerce and the Salem Kiwanis Club)

Saturday, December 4

9:30 to 10 a.m.: Breakfast with Santa and Mrs. Claus at Mac and Bob’s. Tickets are $5 and are available at the Salem Parks and Rec Department at 620 Florida Street or at the restaurant during the event. Proceeds benefit the Salem Lacrosse Foundation.

9 a.m. to 4 p.m.: The Christmas List fourth annual Craft Show at the Taylor Masonic Lodge (behind the Salem Football Stadium.)

Show features homemade items such as fudge, apple butter, dog treats, breads, and soup mixes, hand painted gourds, wooden items, ornaments, bracelets of hand-rolled beads, “quote signs,” quilts and quilt racks, jewelry, yard art and more!

Admission and parking are free. Fifty-percent of concession proceeds benefit St. Francis Service Dogs. There will also be a table for cancer research where all proceeds are donated to the American Cancer Society.

11 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Ye Olde Salem Christmas is at the Salem Farmers Market, the Salem Library, and throughout downtown Salem. Merchants will host open houses, and vendors will bring crafts, produce, baked goods, and Christmas. Look for hot cider and roasted chestnuts, too!

In the library, Santa Claus is available for photos in the front, and Mrs. Claus is hosting story time in the children’s section. Library staff and volunteers have crafts for kids and materials to write letters to the North Pole.

Carriage rides and Model-T rides with retired Roanoke College professor Bob Hudson are available from the Salem Farmers Market to and from the Gingerbread Festival at Longwood Park.

11 a.m. to 4 p.m.: The Gingerbread Festival at the Carriage House in Longwood Park. Inside, a gingerbread house competition is on display. Outside, a marshmallow roast, raffle prizes, arts and crafts vendors, and food vendors alongside live entertainment. Admission and parking for this event are free. For more information, contact the Salem Roanoke Chamber of Commerce at 387-0267.

7 p.m.: “Offering,” a modern-gospel Christmas band, will play at Tabernacle Baptist Church. For more information, call Ken Gray at 330-5588, or visit their website at www.bigspringmusic.com.

Sunday, December 5:

The Holiday Homes Tour will feature four spectacular homes along some of Salem’s most historic streets will be featured, plus the Carriage House in Longwood Park and the newly expanded Salem Museum between 1 and 5 p.m.

The tour is self-guided and houses may be approached in any order. Carpooling is suggested and some walking will be involved. In the case of inclement weather, the tour will be rescheduled for Sunday, December 12.

Tickets are $12 in advance, $15 the day of, and can be purchased at The Salem Museum, Countryside Classics, the Salem Times-Register, and Brooks-Byrd Pharmacy; or in Roanoke at Ram’s Head Books, Towers Mall. During the event, maps and tickets will be available at the museum or at any of the featured homes.

For more information or to charge tickets to your credit card call the museum at 389-6760.