EAST GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Big crowds filled a snow-covered Gaslight Village for the annual tree lighting Friday night.

As snow blanketed West Michigan the day after Thanksgiving, it was the perfect night to kick off the season and get in the holiday spirit.

“It gets cold outside so everybody tucks away inside their homes … this is a great event that gets us outside and gets you hanging out with your neighbors,” said Tom Devries, an East Grand Rapids resident. “It’s just beautiful, especially on a night like tonight.”

The event had lots of holiday classics: carriage rides, reindeer, Christmas carols, a ballet performance of ‘The Nutcracker’ by the Michigan Ballet Academy and a visit from Santa Claus himself. Some kids said their favorite part was the s’mores.

East Grand Rapids Mayor Katie Favale was also on hand to welcome the community.

For many in the crowd, this is a long tradition of how they start the holiday season.

“We just come here every year,” said Xaxon Devries, a child seeing the festivities. “It’s fun because you get to pet the reindeer and go on the horse ride. So yeah, pretty excited.”

Eric Hall, another East Grand Rapids resident, said he’s come to the tree lighting every year since he moved to the area nearly a decade ago. For both residents, the event is a way of bringing the entire community together to spread holiday cheer.

“You see all the friends in the neighborhood, the friends the kids go to school with,” he said. “It’s a close, tight-knit community.”