By Pat Byington
Bhamnow.com
Continuing a tradition that started in the late 1940s, Birmingham held its annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony on Sun. Dec. 10. At around 5:30 p.m., Mayor Randall Woodfin pulled the switch that unveiled a beautiful sparkling 35-foot tree at Linn Park in downtown Birmingham in front of several hundred people, including the City Council and, most importantly, Santa Claus.
This year’s tree and ceremony was moved from the front of Linn Park on the south side of the park to the front of city hall.
Woodfin gave a five minute speech and, with the city council on stage, handed out the poinsettias to the crowd.
Before the tree lighting there were games for children, Santa Claus was hard at work and the mascot “SYD” from the Mayor’s Office of Youth Services greeted the crowd.
For seven decades, the Birmingham Christmas tree lighting ceremony continues to bring joy to the Magic City.
