PEABODY— The city officially kicked off the holiday season this past weekend with its eighth annual Christmas tree lighting and Holiday Stroll.

Saturday afternoon saw a full slate of festive activities across the downtown area from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. The annual event happens on Small Business Saturday, which allows community members to support local small businesses.

Over at Courthouse Plaza, festive music blasted for friends, family, and visitors to listen to while strolling through different shops and businesses. The Peabody Fire Station held a Touch-a-Truck and Jaws of Life demonstration, and kids got to say hi to Mr. and Mrs. Claus at the Public Library, where the Claus held a storytime.

The fun continued at the Knights of Columbus, where the organization held a Santa’s Workshop. The workshop was filled with various arts and crafts activities, including cookie decorating, one of Santa’s favorites. Center Church also provided a live nativity in addition to face painting.

Plenty of reindeer games were played at the Osborn-Salata House, where a reindeer scavenger hunt was held in addition to some ornament decorating.

The Peabody Institute library also hosted a Winter Holiday Art Fair earlier in the day. The fair was filled with arts and crafts and homemade gifts for the whole family, and Peabody TV held a “Green Screen Fun” event for kids to explore video and film.