Thousands filled Main Street in Oswego for the village’s annual Christmas Walk on Friday evening.
Attractions included a tree-lighting performance at the corner of Washington and Main streets, youth choirs and live reindeer Olaf and Elsa that hail from Anchorage, Alaska.
Lindsay and Jesse Cuddy were with their two young daughters, Lily, 6, and Ella, 3, at the event.
“The best part is to see the Christmas festivities through the eyes of our children. They are enamored with the lights,” Lindsay Cuddy said.
Kids have a way of seeing things differently, she said.
“Everything about Christmas is magical. The lights get to us and to hear our daughters sing carols in their little voices warms my heart,” she said.
Oswego sisters Danielle Dillon and Laurie Montgomery were taking in the sights and sounds on Main Street on Friday. While their children are all grown, the event brought back a lot of their holiday childhood memories.
“We see people that we know and the festivities take us back to when we were kids,” Dillon said.
“The season is magical. It’s not about the gifts but the other things in life that go with Christmas, being with family and friends,” she said.
Montgomery is excited to have her first grandchild due around Christmas Day.
“It brings tears to my eyes knowing a Christmas grandchild is on the way,” Montgomery said.
Lindsay and Brian DeLonjay were with their two children, Taylor, 14, and Chase, 11, at the event.
“This really gets our family into the Christmas spirit and it’s great to see everyone smiling,” Brian DeLonjay said.
Candice Ybarra pushed a double-seat stroller down Main Street so her 7-month-old daughter, Lennon, and 3-year-old son, Lucas, could take in all of the twinkling lights at the annual tree-lighting.
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“My children get excited over the colors of the lights,” the Oswego mother said. “The Christmas Walk is one of the things I love about Oswego.”
A lot of people marveled over reindeer Olaf and Elsa.
“Some people believe reindeer are only in fairy tales,” Huntley-based animal handler Corey Hancock said.
Other features at the event were rides on the Toyland train, ice sculpting, an inflatable sled hill and the annual emergency vehicle light parade.
Allied First Bank was once again the event’s presenting sponsor.
Linda Girardi is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.