LINDEN, NJ — Festivity and holiday cheer were brought to residents by Mayor Derek Armstead and the Linden Cultural and Heritage Committee, which presented Linden’s 30th-annual holiday tree-lighting celebration to kick off the holiday season on Friday, Dec. 3. After the tree-lighting ceremony at City Hall, all were invited to make s’mores and take photos with Santa at the Raymond Wood Bauer Promenade, where live entertainment, holiday music and refreshments were offered, and all children 10 and younger had the opportunity to participate in a raffle for four bicycles donated by Walmart.
“We have our annual Christmas tree lighting. The turnout has been absolutely off the charts, and it’s tremendous,” Armstead said on Friday, Dec. 3. “This was the first year that we’ve actually had the whole celebration outside. Normally, we would have the tree-lighting celebration and then we would go inside the John T. Gregorio Recreation Center. But because of COVID, we’ve decided to keep it all outside, and it’s actually working out pretty well. We’ve partnered with our Linden Cultural and Heritage Committee, who puts everything together, along with (Executive Director) Mike Bono, who runs the Special Improvement District, which is called Uptown Linden. In fact, this year, Mike Bono lit the tree along with Rita Greco (of Linden), because of all the years of service they put into making these events the way they are.
“The tree-lighting ceremony went very well, and it goes well every year,” he continued. “It’s a nice thing to do. Right now, we have s’mores, hot chocolate, hot pretzels and you can take a picture with Santa Claus. I’m just happy that things seem to be returning to normal. Of course, COVID puts a strain on a lot of different things that we’re accustomed to, but we’re trying to get back to normal. Proof of that is, we’re outside doing this.”
First Ward Councilwoman Lisa Ormon, who was also in attendance, mentioned how much it felt like Christmas thanks to this event.
“We’re having our annual tree lighting with lots of festivities,” Ormon said on Friday, Dec. 3. “We made s’mores, had hot pretzels, hot chocolate, and our guest of honor, Santa Claus, is here. Every child gets to sit on Santa’s lap and receive a goody bag. It’s absolutely wonderful. I love the fact that we’re having it outdoors this year. We normally light our tree and go into the Gregorio Center, and it’s always so packed and crowded, you really can’t enjoy it. So, as bad as COVID is, COVID made this particular event so much more festive. We’re outside, there’s lots of room, no crowding and it feels like it’s Christmas.
“The event has been great so far. Lots of smiles, lots of children giggling and lots of children enjoying hot chocolate and s’mores, so it’s absolutely wonderful,” she continued. “Four lucky little kids are going to receive a bike, and it’s a blessing, because Santa is giving away those bikes today. Four bikes were raffled off — two different sizes for toddlers and two other bikes for 8- and 10-year-olds. The bikes were donated from Walmart this year.
“I’d like to give a special thank you to Mike Bono and our Special Improvement District for the outstanding decorations in the promenade and on Wood Avenue,” Ormon added, “and also, the Linden Cultural and Heritage Committee, who helped with this event. They’ve been doing this for the last 20 years.”
Second Ward Councilman Barry Javick spoke of the success of the event and said he has hope for next year’s Christmas tree lighting.
“It’s nice to see everyone coming out again, because everyone has been staying in for such a long time,” Javick said on Friday, Dec. 3. “This is just a beautiful time for us to come out for Christmas right now. The tree is all lit, and now we have Santa onstage in the promenade, and everyone can get their pictures taken with him. The event has been fantastic so far. For me, I had my pretzel, my hot chocolate and now, I’m going to go have some s’mores.
“The turnout was phenomenal today. It was comparative to the other festivals we had. I think people have been cooped up for so long that they’re finally coming out,” he continued. “My hope for next year is that we will continue with all our festivals again and that there’ll be no resurgence of COVID, and everything will be back to normal in this town.”
Photos by EmilyAnn Jackman