MILWAUKEE — Downtown Milwaukee is beginning to look like a winter wonderland. On Tuesday, dozens of students put up the first ornaments on the trees in Cathedral Square Park. They are transforming the area into Community Spirit Park for the season as part of the annual Milwaukee Holiday Lights Festival.
“We have made ornaments over the course of like a week and we are going to put them on a tree"," Gabriela Sanchez, an 8th grader at Christ St. Peter Lutheran School, said.
In total, around 2,000 students from 90 local schools are rocking around the Christmas tree and putting up handmade ornaments.
"Because it's a lot of fun, and we get to have fun and celebrate Christmas," Le'Faith Burks, a 5th grader at Congress Public School, said.
Each tree has a theme like 'The True Meaning of Christmas' and 'Recycling Around the Christmas Tree'. This tradition has been going on for at least 25 years. It's a way to make downtown merry and bright. BID #21 helps facilitate the annual lights festival. There are also light shows at Pere Marquette Park, at Zeidler Union Square, and decorations along three different streets in the city.
"This park means love, kind, joy, uplifting your spirit, just knowing that everything is going to be okay," Brian Johnson, a public service ambassador for the Downtown Business Improvement District, said.
On Tuesday, Santa Claus came to town for an early Christmas appearance after making his list to check it twice to see if these Milwaukee children have been naughty or nice. He handed out candy canes, gave hugs, and took pictures with the student groups. He said he loved all the decorations.
"Ho ho ho ho ho," Santa said.
More than just students were decking the halls. Local non-profits were also putting up decorations of silver and gold.
"We love doing this every year. We come out every year and put the ornaments on the tree," Debbie Goodwin with Serving Older Adults of Southeast Wisconsin said.
Students and local organizations will be decorating more than 130 trees in the park over the course of nine days.
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