Southlake residents and guests roared and cheered as they eagerly counted down the seconds until jolly ol’ Saint Nick flipped the giant candy cane switch.

“5…4…3…2…1!”

With that, Santa Claus flipped the massive lever into the “On” position, and thousands of lights illuminated the Southlake Town Square.

Southlake’s “Home for the Holidays” annual Tree Lighting Ceremony kicked off Saturday, Nov. 17 at 6:30 p.m. in the Town Square.

Mayor John Terrell began the ceremony by thanking each City Council member and all of the volunteers who had helped make the evening possible.

“It’s a special community, and when I use the term ‘community,’ I really mean it,” said Terrell. “There’s a lot of different cities out there, but this is truly a community. What makes it that way is our citizens and all the many volunteers that we have.”

Frank Bliss, president of Cooper & Stebbins, and Mayor Terrell took a few moments to remember Brian Stebbins, the developer of Southlake Town Square, and how much he loved the Tree Lighting Ceremony. 

“This was Brian’s absolute favorite event of the year,” said Terrell. “He has truly left a legacy for all of us to enjoy.”

After the ceremony, those in attendance were welcome to enjoy Christmas carols, letters to Santa, free carriage rides and holiday refreshments. Some of the more adventurous attendees even raced each other down a 12-foot snow tubing hill.

For a look at what happened at the “Home for the Holidays” Tree Lighting Ceremony, check out the photo gallery below.