With a comfortable chill in the air, downtown Salt Lake City came alive Friday night.

Thousands gathered at the Gallivan Center, Temple Square and The Gateway with hot chocolate and hand-warmers to welcome the spirit of the holiday season.

Musical artists including Kurt Bestor and Jon Schmidt set the tone with familiar melodies, and the holiday theme settled at dusk when the city began to glow in the colors of the season.

With the flick of a few switches, hundreds of thousands of bulbs burst into a kaleidoscope of color that led the city into the holidays.

"This is my first time seeing the lights," said Ana Teixeira, a Salt Lake resident, as she toured Temple Square with her parents. "You can see the temple and the Christmas spirit together here."

Every year, Teixeira said, she and her family begin the season by reading scriptures to remember why Christmas is celebrated. Throughout the month of December, Teixeira said, her family will construct a Nativity scene, collecting figures and traditional aspects of the set from nature to understand the significance of each piece. The set is completed on Christmas when the baby Jesus is placed in the manger. The family brought the custom from their native Portugal.

While the traditions that surround Christmas are significant to Teixeira and her family, she said that the essence of the season is rooted firmly in service and family. Those, Teixeira said are what bring happiness and joy.

Jennifer Doyle, Provo, said that her mother-in-law only asked that her family give her written notes describing situations in which they had helped another. Doyle said her mother-in-law most likely asked for the stories instead of little knickknacks because she wanted to know the good her family had passed to others.

"You can't help but worry for people with the way things have been," Doyle said. "I only want my kids to be grateful for the things they do have and for me to be helpful to others in my personal life."

And with the economic situation forcing more and more people to lean on their neighbors for support, there has never been a greater need for compassion and service, Bestor said after his show at the Gallivan Center Friday.

"This year may be one of the most memorable Christmases we have had in a long time," Bestor said. "The current conditions have forced us to dig into our hearts instead of our wallets."

Chris and Anna Brozek, owners of Slowtrain, 221 E. Broadway, an independent record shop in Salt Lake City, asked that people consider how they use their money this holiday season. Anna Brozek said that by investing in the local community, shoppers can preserve and strengthen the economy in which they and their families work.