ELKINS — The Festival of Carols returns to Davis & Elkins College this Sunday, while many Randolph County schools are preparing for their annual Christmas programs.

D&E will celebrate the “Spirit of the Season” with its annual Festival of Carols on Sunday, Dec. 8 at 7 p.m. in the Myles Center for the Arts Harper-McNeeley Auditorium. The event is free and open to students, faculty, staff and members of the Elkins community.

“We’re excited to share the Spirit of the Season with the community again with the transformational message of Christmas,” Coordinator of Foundation and Church Relations Tina Vial said in a press release from D&E.

The evening’s events will include musical selections performed by the Davis & Elkins College Concert Choir, under the direction of Elizabeth Marshall-MacVean and accompanied by Donna Baroudi Huffman. A Christmas message will be offered by the new Benfield-Vick Chaplain, Dr. Franklin Tanner Capps, the release states.

“I’m very much looking forward to my first Festival of Carols service here at D&E,” Capps said. “In all the planning meetings I’ve been part of, a consistent theme has been how important this service is, not only for the college, but also for the wider Elkins community. It promises to be a restful evening of music and contemplation — just what’s needed in what is otherwise a hectic time of year.”

D&E will also be collecting goodwill offerings to benefit the Davis Memorial Presbyterian Church food pantry, and a reception with holiday treats will follow in the Joni and Buck Smith Arts Forum.

In addition, Randolph County Schools will offer several Christmas choir and band concerts this month.

The Elkins High School Choir Christmas concert will be Thursday, Dec. 12 at 6:30 p.m., while the band Christmas concert will be Monday, Dec. 16 at 6:30 p.m. Both events will be at the school.

The Elkins Middle School Choir concert will be Monday, Dec. 9 at 6:30 p.m. at Elkins High School. The sixth-grade and seventh-grade band performances will take place on Dec. 10, at 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. respectively, at Elkins Middle School. The eighth-grade band will perform on Monday, Dec. 16 at 6:30 p.m. at Elkins High School.

Tygarts Valley Middle/High School’s band concert will be Wednesday, Dec. 18 at 6 p.m. at the school.

Pickens School’s Christmas programming will be Wednesday, Dec. 11 at both 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. at the school.

George Ward Elementary will offer its Christmas programming on Friday, Dec. 20 at the Tygarts Valley High School gym. Pre-K through second-grade will be performing from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. and third-grade through fifth grade will be performing from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Beverly Elementary will offer its Pre-K through second-grade Christmas program on Wednesday, Dec. 11 at 6 p.m. The third-grade through fifth-grade program and band performance will be Thursday, Dec. 12 at 6 p.m. Both events will take place at the school.

Other elementary schools in the county will also offer Christmas programming throughout the month, including:

Midland Elementary on Tuesday, Dec. 10 at 6 p.m. at Harper-McNeeley Auditorium;

Third Ward Elementary on Monday, Dec. 16 at 5 p.m. at Harper-McNeeley Auditorium;

Coalton Elementary on Tuesday, Dec. 17 at 6 p.m. at the school; and

Jennings Randolph Elementary on Wednesday, Dec. 18 at 6 p.m. at Harper-McNeeley Auditorium.