By: Jason Schwartz
DELRAY BEACH – It officially became the holiday season Thursday evening in Delray Beach when Santa Claus flipped the switch to light the 100-foot Christmas tree at Old School Square. “Three, two, one!,” chanted the crowd. Cheers echoed on the lawn once the more than 15,000 LED lights flashed on the tree, considered among the largest in the area. The jolly ole fellow arrived by helicopter shortly after 7 p.m. Flanked by a police escort, he worked his way through the crowd and made his way on top of a fire truck, which served as a stage.
“Santa! Santa!” said a little girl, perched on top of her father’s shoulders watching the traditional arrival of the jolly fellow. Several thousand people gathered downtown to enjoy Santa, holiday music, outdoor skating and a holiday carousel. After the tree was lit, the party continued downtown with an “On the Ave” festival until 10 p.m.
Delray asked attendees to wear holiday sweaters in hopes of setting a record. They fell short by around 300. “We really want to recapture the childhood memories for children of coming downtown for the holiday season, seeing the lights, really reclaiming the dreams we all had when we were kids of going down and seeing Santa at the store,” said Stephen Chrisanthus, associate director of the Delray Beach Marketing Cooperative, Inc. “We want them to be able to remember their downtown as part of a great holiday season.”
The Shipley family thought the holiday event would be a good way to introduce their 9- month-old son Nathaniel to Santa. He watched as his parents set up a tree in their home, and is fascinated with the lights, said mother Sarah Shipley. “It’s his first Christmas,” she said. “We wanted him to meet Santa.” For people who missed the tree lighting, there will be another opportunity to see members of the Claus family at the Delray Beach holiday parade on Saturday.