HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. —

The city of Hendersonville gathered on Friday night for a yearslong holiday tradition, bundled up with holiday cheer and a sense of pride for the place they live.

Hundreds crowd Main Street and the Henderson County Courthouse plaza every year to brighten the sky with their annual Christmas tree lighting. Newcomers and native families said the small-town charm and an endearing community welcome them back without hesitation.

"You look down the street. Every store's got a business in it. It's just so unique and wonderful. In today's world, most main streets are dead. And so we just love Hendersonville. We come every chance we get. We go back to having a sense of being home. Because this is our home. That's right," Steve and Kathy Norman, who grew up in Hendersonville

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