Santa leads Palatine tree lighting

Santa was his usual jolly and punctual self Saturday evening as he made his annual appearance at the Palatine Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony at Towne Square Park on Palatine Road in Palatine.

The event started with the Palatine Children's Choir singing traditional holiday songs while wearing red and white Santa hats next to the tree in the square.

The world's most famous elf arrived exactly at 5 p.m. on the top of a Palatine Fire Department ladder truck, which then lifted him to the top of the tallest pine tree downtown. He led the crowd of 400 in a countdown and the lights popped on as expected.

Families took shaky selfies in front of the tree and children scurried around the trunk of the tree in a brightly lit fantasy-like fort while Santa made his way through the crowd to the gazebo for the opportunity to greet families and take more photos.