BUCKHANNON – The holiday season is quickly making its way to Sweet-A-Licious, where princesses, the Grinch and Cindy Lou Who plan to make an appearance.

Michelle Jack, the owner of Sweet A Licious, said she is bringing back some of her customers’ favorite holiday events and starting a new family event this year.

“On Dec. 4 at 2 p.m., I’m hoping to start a friendly gingerbread house competition for the holiday season,” Jack said. “It’s for families of four, and I buy all the supplies, I give each team the same exact thing, and they build a house. After they’re done, I’m going to have people in the community do a judging and whoever wins gets a pizza/ice cream party at the shop just for their family.”

Jack hopes this new competition will encourage adults and children to work together.

“I’m hoping it will bring families together; they have to sit down, the adults and kids have to work together, and if you don’t have kids, you can borrow kids,” Jack said. “Then, on Dec. 9 we are doing our princess party, which is already sold out, but if we have enough interest, I would plan a second party.”

On Dec. 17 at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. the Grinch and Cindy Lou Who will make their return.

“That’s an hour-long event with the Grinch and Cindy Lou, and this will be our fifth year doing that one — it’s a meet-and-greet with the Grinch and Cindy Lou, then pictures and then we’re going a game of Christmas bingo,” Jack said. “I have a special Christmas bingo for kids, and then we’re going to do a craft.”

At both the Grinch and the princess parties, guests will also be treated to an ice cream sundae bar. Sweet-A-Licious will also start offering special hot chocolates to kick off the holiday season.

“We’re what we call a plain-Jane hot chocolate, and that’s just a basic hot chocolate made with water and marshmallows, and then we’re doing an upscale hot chocolate, which is made with milk Ghirardelli chocolate chips, chocolate sauce,” Jack said. “We’re also doing that with white chocolate, and we’re having a cafe mocha, which is half hot chocolate and half coffee.”

Ice cream floats will also be on tap this holiday season.

“That is hot chocolate with a scoop of your favorite ice cream, and it makes it a lukewarm beverage,” Jack said. “That starts this week and then next week we’ll start off our milkshakes for the holidays like milk and cookies and peppermint.”

Sweet-A-Licious is also offering a free scoop of ice cream for all nonfood/drink purchases during Small Business Saturday, and they will start selling Sarris Candy products.

“We do plan to be open until Christmas, and then after that point, we’re going to probably close down for like a month, but we do plan to be open pretty much every day until Christmas,” Jack said.