MARBLEHEAD – The 38th annual Marblehead Christmas Walk kicks off tonight with the Holiday Shopping Preview Party.Starting at 5 p.m., over 30 retailers and restaurants in Marblehead will be offering great sales, raffles, refreshments and more.”Typically, Christmas Walk is the first week of December,” said Anne Marie Casey, Executive Director of the Marblehead Chamber of Commerce, which is the managing entity of the yearly event. “But this year, we’ve extended it all though December.”Other events this week are the Tree Lighting Celebration on Friday at 7 p.m. at Abbot Hall; Santa’s Landing by Lobster Boat on Saturday at 9:30 a.m. at the State Street Landing; and the Christmas Walk Parade also on Saturday at 11:45 a.m.The parade starts at State Street Landing, continuing on to Washington Street and Atlantic Avenue.”Christmas Walk is very family oriented, very ?New England Christmas,'” said Casey. “It lets people come out and enjoy the beautiful town of Marblehead.”Other kid-friendly events this year include horse-drawn hayrides on Dec. 13 and 20, face painting, carol-singers, street entertainment and music and story time with Mrs. Clause and photos with Santa.But don’t worry; there are plenty of events that are for adults as well. Some of these include a wine tasting at Shubie’s, an open house at Arabella Lingerie, and champagne and chocolates at Marblehead Antiques, to name a few.More than 80 local businesses are involved with the Marblehead Christmas Walk, and Casey points to them as the reason for success year after year.”There has been a tremendous outpouring of support,” she said. “All of Christmas Walk is possible because of our business community.”For a complete listing of evens, please go to www.visitmarblehead.com and click on the Marblehead Christmas Walk logo on the right. Open the PDF file for a full description.