You need to call months ahead if you want to stay at one of these places. But Sam Lewis, who helped found the cook-off and who still maintains the festival site, said the best thing to do is to bring your own tent, camper or R.V. and camp on the grounds. The atmosphere is friendly and there s plenty of room. Free Marshall brightens up for the Christmas season with more than 2.5 million Christmas lights on buildings, trees, and decorations all over town. In all, the strings of light measure more than 230 miles.
Neighborhoods decorate with lights around a central theme.
More than 260,00 lights decorate the uptown square, covering lampposts and the courthouse museum. More than 9,000 lights bedeck a giant Christmas tree on the square. The town square is the site of various activities, including the March of the Lighted Carolers, in which 2,000 singers carry candles as they march around he square. Each Tuesday and Thursday night, choirs, dressed in decorative robes, perform on the square. Other activities include a parade and the Jingle Bell Run.