LYNN — With the flick of a switch, Santa lit the 75-foot Christmas tree on the Lynn Commons as hundreds of revelers looked on.
Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy apologized for the lack of snow.
“It would add to the atmosphere, instead it’s just kind of damp,” said the mayor, who was bundled up in a white down jacket. “But we still have a great crowd.”
With that, students from the Cobbet Elementary School Chorus
serenaded the chilled audience with a selection from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker. A second group from the K-5 school skillfully used hand chimes to ring in the holidays.
The elementary school children were followed by the Lynn English High School choir led by Jorge Ibanez.
They performed “Deck the Halls” and “Silent Night” as the crowd sang along.
Lynn Classical High School singers came next with a harmony of “Carol of the Bells” which brought a rousing applause.
The mayor thanked more than a dozen donors for making the festivities possible including Garelick Farms, Salvy the Florist, the city’s Community Development and Public Works departments, the Lynn Police Department, Lynn School Department, St. Mary’s, Raw Art Works, Covanta, Rachel’s Challenge, The Real Program, and Building Bridges Through Music.
But it was Santa’s arrival on a decked-out fire truck that brought cheers from the assembled crowd. He emerged from the decorated engine to applause from children and their parents.
“There’s Santa,” shouted one boy.
“I see him,” said another.
“Wow, he’s really here,” said a third child.
Following the tree lighting, the crowd gathered in the City Hall lobby. There were crafts for kids with Raw Art Works whose mission is to create a culture where every artist feels welcome. There was a sing-along with Building Bridges Through Music which was founded to bring people together over music.
Santa was last seen boarding the fire truck, heading back to the North Pole.
