Hot chili and warm S’mores were all the incentive people needed to come out for Carnation’s annual holiday event on a cold Saturday evening Dec. 3. The warming refreshments, donated by local donated by local businesses and the Chamber of Commerce, were welcomed by several hundred people gathered in the Carnation Commons, anxiously awaiting the arrival of Santa and the lighting of the city’s tree.

Santa was warmly welcomed by the crowd and got a hug from Christmas in Carnation chairperson before he went to work in the Hopelink building, taking toddlers’ wishlists and posing for pictures. The tree was lit without ceremony, and the evening concluded with families and friends strolling the streets, admiring shop windows and stopping in some businesses for an extended celebration.