It’s a White Christmas tree lighting in Syracuse: ‘It’s perfect like this’

Syracuse, N.Y. – This evening, with the turn of a candy-cane switch, the Christmas season symbolically began in Syracuse’s downtown.

Despite a forecast of more lake effect snow, and Mayor Ben Walsh’s late afternoon snow safety alert warning people of messy driving conditions, hundreds of families crowded into Clinton Square on Friday night for the annual lighting of the 42-foot city Christmas tree.

Several people told syracuse.com | The Post-Standard that they believed attendance for the event was lower than usual because of the snow. But they also said the winter setting was perfect for the city and the holiday season.

There was certainly no damper on the festive mood as children ran through the square throwing snowballs, families posed for pictures and people sipped warm drinks.