On Tuesday, Nov. 12, citizens of Huntington Beach (HB) gathered outside of the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory on Main St. to bear witness to a magical holiday event. The annual tree lighting ceremony was held during one of downtown HB’s busiest days of the week: the Surf City Nights Farmers Market.
From 5-8pm, Main St. was filled with holiday fun including live entertainment, a toy drive, seasonal treats, handmade goods from small businesses, the tree lighting, and of course, Santa Claus and his elves.
The tree lighting took place at 6pm with an eager crowd surrounding the 20 foot tall Christmas tree. Families with small children gathered around, huddled together in the cold, awaiting the lighting ceremony and Santa’s arrival.
About two minutes before the lighting, Mayor Gracey Van Der Mark stepped onto the stage below the tree, joined by former mayor Tony Strickland and the HB Chief of police, Eric Parra.
After saying a few words about the community, the countdown began with the crowd chanting along. The Christmas tree lit up from bottom to top with its beaming star radiating light, followed by a shower of sparkling silver confetti.
The crowd had mostly cleared, but some lingered to take photos of the tree while others got in line behind Santa’s elves to take a picture. The line extended well into the street, with little ones playing in the confetti as they waited their turn to sit on Santa’s lap.
Jeff Carr, a local, posed for a picture in front of the glowing tree with his partner Pearl after having dinner downtown. He said, “This was our first time coming to the tree lighting [and] it’s amazing. It’s crowded.”
Another family surrounded the stage after taking a photo with Santa as they waited for dinner reservations.
Ryleigh, 4, said that her favorite part about Christmas is getting lots of presents. Her sister, 6-year-old Chloe, said, “I like seeing [my] grandma and grandpa and [drinking] hot chocolate with candy canes.”
This celebration was the perfect way to kick off the holiday season. Although it may be a little early for Christmas, it was quite the spectacle, bringing together loved ones and uniting the community. If you missed this one, you can catch the annual pier lighting on Sunday, Dec. 8. The pier is decorated with snowflake lights, donated by locals, on each lamppost and the proceeds go towards the Waymakers Huntington Beach Youth Shelter.
