Let the holidays begin

The holiday season is in full swing around Williamson County, with Thanksgiving behind us and the Christmas season beginning. Christmas is my favorite holiday! My daughters, niece and I decided to “Shop the Rock,” as the slogan of the Round Rock Chamber asked us to do, on Thursday evening following a big Thanksgiving meal. We were a few of the many who attended the “Midnight Madness” Sale at the Round Rock Premium Outlets. When we arrived on the northbound access road of IH 35 at about 11:45 p.m. Thursday evening, the traffic was bumper to bumper, literally. We were able to secure some of the last parking places in the far corner of the parking lot, and when we got into the area with the shops, it was very crowded. The Coach store had a line of over 30 people for over two hours. The Swarvorsky Crystal store, offering up to a 75% discount on featured items, also had a long line. Equally popular was the Bath and Body Works store, which was featuring “any four items for only $20.” By my observation, most of the shoppers were in the 15-30 year old range, which meant that stores with items aimed at older shoppers, such as myself, were relatively lightly populated. I was able to buy a suit, originally priced at $179, then marked down to $79, on the 50% off “Midnight Madness Sale” price of $40 at the Kasper store. The discount price was only good from midnight until 6 a.m. All in all, the sales were extremely popular, but if the Christmas shopping season will boost the local economy and local government coffers remains to be seen, since such deep discounts also mean that the percentage of the sales for sales tax revenue will be less per item.

On Friday, the City of Georgetown and Williamson County started the Christmas season with the annual ceremony on the courthouse square, “The Lighting of the Square.” I was honored to represent all of the county’s citizens along with Mayor George Garver, who represented the city. Of course, Santa Claus was there, representing Christmas and good cheer to all. The ceremony was very well attended. I enjoyed the event with my husband, Rick, and my two teenage daughters, Elizabeth and Ricki. My parents, Ann and Marvin Lackey of Georgetown, also attended. Several county officials also attended, including Williamson County Tax Assessor Collector Deborah Hunt. While I was at the event, I remembered former Williamson County Commissioner Tom McDaniel, who represented the county in the ceremony several years ago, and was so thrilled to have done so, as was I this year.

Also in full swing is the attempt to share the Christmas season with the most needy in our community. The local Blue and Brown Santa programs are busily collecting toys, sorting them and getting ready to distribute them in a couple of weeks. I worked at the Williamson County Sheriff’s Office Brown Santa workshop over the weekend with the youth group from St. Philip’s United Methodist Church of Round Rock. More volunteers and donations are needed. Also, I will be hosting a Christmas party at my office, located at 400 W. Main St., #216, Round Rock, on this Thursday, Dec. 3rd from 4-6 p.m. Attendees can enjoy Christmas music, festive food and a visit from the big guy, Santa Claus. Donations of toys or books for the Williamson County Brown Santa program are requested for all attendees. Gifts and books for those aged 10-17 are especially needed. For more information or to RSVP, contact Mary Clark at mclark@wilco.org or 512/733-5380.