By Heather Thompson
Last night, the city of Marietta held its annual Christmas tree lighting, which included an ugly sweater parade, Santa arriving on a fire engine, and a toy soldier on stilts.
Crowds of parents and children clamored into Glover Park in the Historic Marietta Square as city police held traffic at bay, allowing ugly sweaters and Christmas cheer to parade through the streets and into the heart of the city. As Santa rode an antique fire truck around the square, before coming to a stop in the parking spaces next to the park, kids cheered, parents smiled, and no doubt multiple TikTok videos were posted.
As Santa arrived, took his seat, and welcomed children to tell him what they wanted for Christmas, local children’s choirs performed Christmas classics on stage near the city’s Christmas tree, despite the wind and cold temperatures that continued to drop into the evening. All the kids and parents were good sports as they wrote letters to Santa, took pictures with characters like Bluey and Belle from “Beauty and the Beast,” and played around the fountain and other activity areas throughout the park.
Marietta’s Christmas tree was lit around 6 p.m. to fanfare and applause while kids still patiently waited in line to see Santa. In one corner of the park, there were numerous decorated Christmas trees sponsored by local schools, businesses, and even government offices, creating a Christmas wonderland for patrons to experience.
Quite honestly, if I didn’t know any better, I would have thought I was in a Hallmark Christmas movie, with the only thing missing being snow – and it was cold enough for it, believe me.
Eugenia Gonzales, a professional costume character, was dressed as a toy soldier on stilts and walked around with a smile, greeting children and taking pictures. “I never thought being a costume character would be how I pay the bills, but making people happy makes me happy,” Eugenia shared just before a group of kids asked for a picture. In a world gone mad, Eugenia strives to put smiles on people’s faces and takes great pride and enjoyment in doing exactly that.
Between the fire department and the police, the city did a great job directing traffic, keeping kids safe, and facilitating all the in-street activities before the culmination of events in the park itself. It was a well-oiled machine, and everyone knew their job, which might not be a big deal to those who attended but would be a great comfort if a patron needed help.
All in all, Marietta knocked it out of the park in creating a must-attend event for the opening of the Christmas season.
