PONTIAC — Thanksgiving was officially over Friday, and that meant it was time for Pontiac to welcome in the Christmas season.

Downtown Pontiac hosted the annual Christmas Light Up Parade Friday night, and about 2,000 flooded the sidewalks and the streets as over 30 different floats drove down. Christmas light arrangements of teddy bears, snowmen and dragons shared the same space with floats depicting the birth of Jesus Christ.

The parade ended with the arrival of Santa Claus, on his way to his house on the north side of the Livingston County Courthouse. However, a new event which may become tradition is the lighting of the town Christmas tree just north of Santa’s house. The 12-foot-tall tree was donated by Trees N Trim out of Fairbury, and it was lighted after the parade by Santa and this year’s helpers, Pontiac children Rebekah Hendershott and Sam Edinger.

In order to light it, the three took handfuls of “fairy dust” and threw it on the tree.

“It is just the feeling of small-town magic,” said Lori Fairfield, executive director of Pontiac Redeveloping Our United Downtown, who put on the parade. “It just brings the Christmas feeling to the community.”

It was clear Friday night that both young and old alike were sharing that feeling.

“We are just here enjoying the night,” said Wanda Saltzman, of Pontiac, as she and her grandson Nate Crosiar, 5, could be seen watching the parade.

Crosiar said that his favorite part of the parade was a large green dragon which moved its head and wings.

“I liked the fire truck because of all the lights on it,” said Brittany Allen, 9, of Pontiac

“I liked the big snowman (in the parade),” Jamie Sullivan, 9, of Otsego, Mich., said after she and her sister, Abie Rose Sullivan, 6, told their wishes to Santa.

After the tree was lit, Santa then went into his house to hear Christmas wishes from a couple dozen children waiting anxiously outside. Santa will be in his house every Saturday beginning on Nov. 28 through Dec. 19 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. He will then be in his house on Christmas Eve from 10 a.m. to noon.