On the Saturday after Thanksgiving Newton celebrates the arrival of the Christmas Season with a variety of events: the lighting of the Christmas decorations around the square and park, the commissioning of the train for passage through the lighted park, the serving of gumbo in the civic center, the opening of the Christmas shop, the Christmas parade, and the visit of Santa Claus at the civic center. Unfortunately, on November 24, 2007, it rained all day in Newton and it was cold! The parade was cancelled but Santa Claus still made it to the civic center.

Santa promised this big kid a lump of coal for his bad behavior