“By golly, there are some wonderful things happening in this city,” said Santa as he made his way through the crowd.

Santa rode into town on the King Street Trolley and was escorted to the stage by students from Alexandria City High School. He was joined by Mayor Justin Wilson and other local officials as the crowd helped count down the lighting of the 70-foot tree adorned with 38,150 LED lights.

The Town Crier welcomed the crowd as the Silver Five Brass Quintet provided holiday music entertainment.

“Right now it’s a little chilly in the North Pole but the elves and Mrs. Claus are working very hard,” Santa said. “Mrs. Claus and I split our responsibilities. She is in research, development and production and I am in charge of deliveries and customer relations and am here to wish everyone Happy Holidays.”

 “By golly, there are some wonderful things happening in this city.”

— Santa Claus at the holiday tree lighting