The Greenville Cracker Barrel made the Christmas season official Monday night by having a Holiday Open House party.

Of course, there was a lot of great food, but patrons and guest were able to enjoy their meals with live entertainment and a special visit from old Saint Nick himself.

Linda Daniel, publicity and entertainment chairman, said the open house party was one of the ways the restaurant could celebrate the holidays with their guests.

"The purpose of the open house was to thank our guests for their patronage and to welcome the arrival of the holiday season. We wanted to do something special this year for the holidays that our guests could enjoy," Daniel said.

The party was underway by 5:30 p.m. and lasted until 8 p.m. The staff of the Cracker Barrel restaurant provided a long list of entertainers that filled the hours with song and dance.

"We had a lot of great entertainment. We were very fortunate to get Santa Claus because he is always very busy at this time of year. But we also were able to get the Persimmon Creek Cloggers, the Harrison Street Christian Church Choral Group (directed by Earlene Milner) and the Greenville High School Choral Group (directed by Christy Clark)," she said.

Helping with the Holiday Open House party was Butler County Junior Miss Shannon Farrar and Miss Greenville Academy Rachel Mosley.

In addition to great food and entertainment, Cracker Barrel gave away several door prizes, including a Hinkle double rocker and several assorted gift baskets.

Daniel said the party was a huge success and that she hopes they can do it again next year.

"We were very pleased with the way things turned out. It seemed like everyone had a great time and enjoyed the entertainment that we had to offer. Hopefully, we will be able to do this every year. It was a lot of fun for our guests and for our staff," she said.