Santa was jolly, spirits were bright, and everyone seemed to have a fabulous time Sunday night at the annual Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony on the town common.
The celebration attracted hundreds of people from Wrentham and neighboring towns, who enjoyed the unusually mild weather.
The crowd listened to the King Philip symphony and concert bands play holiday songs, while waiting for the trees to light up and for Santa to appear.
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Marsha McCormick, of Marshfield, said she was extremely impressed with the band and with the entire event. Formerly from Wrentham, she came to watch her granddaughter sing Christmas carols with her Daisy Girl Scout Troop.
“The whole thing is like going back to the ‘40s, when I was a kid — it’s great,” she said.
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The ceremony included brief speeches by Selectmen Chairman Joseph Botaish, State Sen. Richard Ross and State Rep. Daniel Winslow. Selectman Gail Pratt then gave the countdown for trees to be lit, followed by Santa arriving in a fire engine. The mild weather made it easy for children and parents to stand in line, waiting to meet the man in the red suit.
“This is a really nice way to start the holiday season,” said Ruthann Lawler, who was waiting with her husband and four children.
Though there were no official counts, participants said the crowd was bigger than usual. Arthur Hurd, a Cub Scout Master, said he sold from 60 to 70 cups of hot chocolate to the crowd, and ran out of refreshments.
“We sold a lot more than in previous years,” he said.
Joseph Botaish said the event has been a favorite with residents, and that he looks forward to it every year. Even though the ceremony was held the same time as a Patriots’ football game, the turnout was great.
“This is way better than the Patriots,” he said.