With Thanksgiving behind us, Christmas lights and holiday decorations of all kinds are beginning to enshroud homes and businesses around the Region. The City of Hammond got in on the fun on Friday, November 29, as it welcomed the community to its fifth annual Tree Lighting Ceremony.
Mayor Tom McDermott and his staff welcomed residents to Hammond City Hall for an array of festivities, including children’s crafts, photos with Santa, live music and dance, and a showcase of real live reindeer. To cap things off, of course, he invited the children in attendance to flip the switch on the Christmas tree – officially kicking off the holiday season in Hammond.
“Hammond’s a beautiful place and we’re happy to celebrate the holidays with the community,” McDermott said. “This is what community is all about, bringing different people together. Hammond is a unique city in a lot of ways. We have our neighborhoods and stick to them. People will grow up in one part of the city and stay there their whole life. It’s great to break that mold, and get everyone out there talking to each other at city hall.”
The event has grown tremendously over the years. What started out as a simple speech and flip of the switch is now a night packed full of activities.
“It’s a young, growing tradition for us,” said Special Events Coordinator Aileen Ibarra. “We used to just focus on the actual tree lighting ceremony, but now we have things like kids crafts. It’s something fun for the little ones. Events like this are important because they bring families together, friends together – really, they bring everyone together.”
Ibarra noted that the Mayor is always pushing to fill out Hammond’s calendar with opportunities for family fun.
“At most of the events we do, there’s not a lot of little kids having fun,” McDermott said. “Tonight, there are a bunch of them running around and enjoying themselves. As a city, we tend to focus on the parents and events for adults. This one is exciting because we really focus on the kids.”
Ibarra and her team packed City Hall full of different arts and crafts stations. Children took the opportunity to write letters to Santa, craft a number of different ornaments, color stockings, and glam themselves out with different Christmas accessories before taking a photo with Santa.
“People just love to come out and say welcome to the holiday season,” Ibarra said.
The Hammond Fire Department came out to join in on the festivities and help distribute cookies and hot chocolate before the ceremony. They also joined the crowd to look on as the Hammond Academy for the Performing Arts Choir and members of its dance team performed.
Once the gathered children flipped the massive holiday light switch, families took more photos with Santa and the reindeer, and took in the decorations adorning City Hall.
The next big event on the calendar for the City of Hammond is its Holiday Parade. It is set to begin at 10 a.m. on December 7 at Gavit High School, where it will travel down Indianapolis Boulevard before ending at the Hammond Sportsplex.
To learn more about the City of Hammond and its other upcoming events, visit gohammond.com.
