MIDDLEBORO – Santa usually makes the rounds on Christmas, but he paid Middleboro an early visit on Friday, Dec. 1 to take part in the tree lighting ceremony at Middleboro’s town hall.

Abbi Nichols got a chance to speak with Santa and Mrs. Claus at the ceremony, and she asked him for “an American Girl doll and a mirror.” Nichols added that she was excited for Christmas. “I’m so excited I forgot all the words,” she said.

Santa’s official role was to light the Christmas tree displayed at the town hall. Before the tree lighting, families got a chance to listen to Christmas carols and drink hot chocolate. 

The ceremony was organized by the Middleboro Tourism Committee. The chair of the committee, Nathan Demers, said that it had taken about two months to plan the event. The ceremony was a way “to kick off the season right,” he said.

Miss Taunton’s Teen Marianna McCallum helped kick off the night with a rendition of Winter Wonderland. Other students from The Burt Wood School of Performing Arts also performed Christmas carols such as “Deck the Halls.”

“They did a great job,” Burt Wood School owner Lorna Brunelle said of her students’ performance.

Santa then turned on the lights on the Christmas tree at approximately 5:30 p.m.

After the tree was lit, residents did some early Christmas shopping at downtown Middleboro’s monthly First Friday event.

On First Fridays, stores in downtown Middleboro that normally close early stay open until 9 p.m. on the first Friday of every month.

Alecia Preston, who owns the Revibed sneaker store on 15 N Main St., said that First Fridays help bring customers to stores in Middleboro.

“You can see that the community is coming together,” Preston said.