SPANISH FORT, Ala.— Be sure to take that nap after Thanksgiving dinner.

With only one month until Christmas, calendars across the area should be as stuffed as stockings, and you’ll need your rest to keep up.

The season kicks off officially at 9 a.m. Dec. 4 with the city of Spanish Fort’s fourth annual “Spirit of Christmas” parade at the Eastern Shore Centre.

Permit Clerk and parade organizer Donna Dunning encouraged groups large and small to consider taking part in what’s becoming a popular gathering.

“Whether it’s for the office or just for fun … we try to add some new groups every year,” said Dunning, noting this year’s number to beat is 45 entrants.

Stacie Barton hasn’t missed the annual event, though she came close in 2009 when icy conditions almost kept her home.

“It was insane. They were talking about snow and everything, and you know the instinct around here is just to stay in when the weather’s bad like that, but I thought to myself, ‘I only get to do this once a year. Bundle up the kids and let’s go,’” Barton said.

Parade lineup will be from 8 a.m. until 8:30 a.m. in the area of Premiere Cinema 14 with the parade route beginning at Dillard’s.

Dunning said there is no application fee for participating, and completed applications may be dropped off at Spanish Fort City Hall, faxed to 626-4880, emailed to permitclerk@cityofspanishfort.com or mailed to her attention at 7581 Spanish Fort Boulevard, Spanish Fort, Ala. 36527.

Of course, nothing works up an appetite like parade watching, and Spanish Fort High School has exactly what you’ll need to keep going all day.

The SFHS choir will host its second annual Pancake Breakfast with Santa immediately following the city’s Dec. 4 parade. Tickets are $6 per person, and breakfast will be served in the SFHS cafeteria.

And although there are no slots remaining, Eastern Shore Centre spokeswoman Kristen Kammer-Hattox said the Jingle Bell Mingle progressive cocktail party later that same afternoon is shaping up to usher in its own special brand of holiday cheer.

Families looking for a little together time and the magic of the season need wait only until Dec. 11 when Wintzell’s Oyster House hosts its annual Breakfast with Santa. The event costs $10 per person, which includes breakfast and a photo with Santa. Reservations are required, however, and can be made by calling the Eastern Shore Centre at (251) 625-0060 or e-mailing kkammer@easternshorecentre.com.

Meanwhile, both the young and young-at-heart are invited to join city leaders for the fourth annual fireside reading of Clement Clarke Moore’s “Twas the Night Before Christmas,” beginning at 7 p.m. Dec. 16 at 5 Rivers Delta Resource Center. Children are encouraged to wear their pajamas and bring their favorite blankets.

And it certainly wouldn’t be Christmas on the Mobile-Tensaw Delta without the third annual Holiday Celebration and Kayak Flotilla, slated for Dec. 18 at 5 Rivers. From swampy sleigh rides to a flotilla of decked out kayaks and canoes, the 2009 event attracted nearly 200 revelers to an authentic delta holiday celebration, complete with arts and crafts, live music and an array of other activities.

The four-hour festivities begin at 11 a.m. For more information, contact 5 Rivers Assistant Manager Shonda Borden at 625-0814 or Shonda.Borden@dcnr.alabama.gov.