Downtown sparkles

Two live reindeer — Comet and Dancer — plus Santa Claus, jugglers and the Utah Jazz Bear! An eclectic mix like that can only mean one thing: The Christmas season has arrived, and these creatures and characters were among the favorites of youngsters Friday night at the "Light Up the Night" holiday ceremony in downtown Salt Lake City.

As dusk settled in at 5:26 p.m., all the midtown shopping district Christmas lights were switched on, followed 10 minutes later by the Temple Square lights and those on surrounding LDS Church properties.

The season has also begun to sparkle elsewhere. Lights and decorations are up and dazzling onlookers in other communities along the Wasatch Front, including the annual Festival of Lights in Spanish Fork and at Lehi's Thanksgiving Point.

There are no new holiday lights on Salt Lake City's Temple Square this year — but that didn't matter to the thousands who came on opening night to enjoy this festive collection. Now in its 39th year, it's one of the nation's largest collections of holiday lights.

"We've made it an extra special year," City Council Chairman Carlton Christensen said during a 10-minute program before the lights were switched on at 50 S. Main. He said the city has tried hard to make it easier for people to come downtown with simpler and cheaper parking.

Indeed, although there seemed to be just as many people walking on Temple Square as in previous opening nights for the holiday lights, traffic seemed to be moving more smoothly in the area. TRAX seemed to help, too.

Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce president Lane Beattie said the downtown lights create "a very tender place in all of our hearts," and watching children's eyes light up is the best way to see the magic of the Christmas season.

"We think that we've got the best that Utah has to offer . . . we've got it all," said Bob Farrington, executive director of the Downtown Alliance, a co-sponsor of the "Light Up the Night" event.

A core crowd of about 350 people watched the brief lights-on ceremony and even sang a few jingles, enjoying complimentary cookies and hot cider. And the magic spilled over to all of the downtown sites, where the electric glow of lights introduced the most festive season of the year.

There seemed to be something for every family — elves on stilts, a small band, a "Jingle Bells" double-decker bus and even Mrs. Claus along with her spouse. Only the long-famed ZCMI Center's brightly decorated windows are absent these days. There was ice skating at the Gallivan Center, plus a candlelight concert with local musician Kurt Bestor and a tree-lighting ceremony at the Gateway.