Jackson Rings In The Holidays

Tonight, downtown Jackson transforms into a Christmas wonderland with all the fanfare of an old time Christmas in a small town.  This event features a visit from Santa Claus along with holiday music and Christmas carols from the Jackson Hole Community Band and Jackson Hole Chorale. Thousands of LED lights have been wrapped around the famous elk antler arches and strung around the trees throughout the square.   Event Organizer Maureen Murphy says the evening has a magic of its own.  She says you can see the holiday spirit in the people who come to the town square and everybody seems ready for the holidays to start.  The evening’s events begin at 5:00 pm with the people gathering and singing carols on the square, followed by the breathtaking moment as the lights sparkle to life. Then comes arrival of Santa Claus who enters with a team of sled dogs from Jackson Hole Iditarod, and Teton Literacy Center will provide free books to children of all ages. Meanwhile, Albertson’s and McDonald’s are providing cookies, hot chocolate, and coffee. Each year, Murphy says, the event attracts hundreds of area residents as well as visitors from out of town who are attracted by the event and the resulting Rockwell-like appearance of the square for the holidays.  She says there is one family who comes from Missouri every year for the event and the events of the weekend. As a special feature this year, Murphy says two hundred attendees at Town Square Lighting will receive an American Express Gift Card worth $25 to be spent for holiday shopping at local businesses on Small Business Saturday.