Once again, Christmas will be arriving early. It’ll be here even before you’ve served your Thanksgiving turkey — at least in downtown Gainesville.

Main Street Gainesville is gearing up for its annual Jingle Mingle, which will be 5-8 p.m. Thursday.

“Jingle Mingle is the big Christmas kickoff for downtown Gainesville,” said Angela Thompson, Main Street program manager. “It’s also the first official night that all of the Christmas lights will be on on the downtown square.”

During the event, the younger attendees can enjoy rides on Santa’s Kiddie Train and the adults can sample snacks, while browsing in local shops.

“Most of the businesses will be having open houses and offering food and drinks in their stores,” Thompson said.

The event is an opportunity for the community to see what goodies are available downtown. It also serves as a Black Friday preview a week before the big holiday shopping event the day after Thanksgiving.

Costumed carolers from Fifth Row Center, a Flowery Branch community theater, will be strolling the square and singing familiar holiday tunes, Thompson said.

The event is free, but organizers are asking attendees to stop by Frames You-Nique on Main Street to make a $1 donation to Meals on Wheels.

“Once they stop in the store and make a donation, they will be given a map of where all of the open houses are,” Thompson said.

The holiday festivities don’t stop with Jingle Mingle.

Beginning Dec. 4, kids can enjoy Mingle with Kringle in downtown’s Main Street Market, where they can get their picture taken with Santa. The free event is from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Saturday in December.

Main Street is a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The goal of the program is to promote and revitalize downtown business districts.