Lighting up the town

Rockville Centre officially kicked off its Christmas season last week with two of its most popular holiday events—Breakfast with Santa and the lighting of the official village tree.

On Dec. 10, villagers started their holiday festivities with the annual tree lighting at the Village Green. Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer came out to help residents celebrate, although the hundreds of people at Village Green didn't seem to need their help. South Side High School’s chorus was on-hand and sang Christmas carols, before Mayor Mary Bossart took to the stage to wish everyone a happy holiday season and count down the lighting.

Several days later, on Sunday, Santa Claus and his helpers visited the Recreation Center to share breakfast with hundreds of families who stopped by. He had to forgo his usual milk and cookies and instead sampled tasty pancakes, as did everyone else. Children also had the opportunity to enjoy many activities including having their faces painted and posing for pictures with Santa.