Christiansburg welcomed the holidays filling Main Street with light and music on a cold Monday night.
In Santa hats and antlers festooned with Christmas lights, people strolled Hickok Street’s twinkling kiosks of hot chocolate, goat’s milk soap, hop cookies, relishes, apples and scones.
“You always worry about people coming out when you’ve changed the date,” Melissa Demmitt, the town’s public relations director said, “but they did!”
“It’s a good turn-out,” Casey Jenkins, Christiansburg events planner said.
In wafts of Jingle Bell Rock and cinnamon beside Weeping Willow Farm’s Oberhasli goat soap shop, Master of Ceremonies Marty Gordon’s dulcet sportscaster baritone entertained the bundled throngs, greeting councilpeople, the mayor and children in elf ears.
Crowds streamed to the town center to light the 25-year-old spruce topped with the Star of Christiansburg and learn something about the history of Christmas trees and thank Christiansburg Public Works (to a rousing cheer) when suddenly, “Wait!,” Mayor Barber said. “Who is that on the roof?”
Proceedings were interrupted by the surprise and spotlit appearance of Santa on the roof of Antiques on Main waving to the delighted crowd.
“I was very surprised,” one 6-year-old onlooker said. “Santa was on the roof!”
The parade set off on time and safely, led by bright orange Roam bicycles and the Christiansburg High School band, its flags sweeping and its tuba bells Christmas-light adorned sailing over the crowd.
