Fuquay-Varina Town Tree Lighting

Tree and menorah lighting at 6 p.m., with four hours of programming either side of it and no charge to attend.

Lighting both a tree and a menorah at the same ceremony is a small thing that matters, and relatively few towns in the county do it. It makes the event a town holiday celebration rather than a Christmas one.

What is on from 4 p.m.:

• Ice skating
• An artist night market
• Choral performances
• Tree and menorah lighting at 6 p.m.
• Photos with Santa at Fuquay Mineral Spring Park

The Santa photos happen at Mineral Spring Park rather than at the main site, so that is a separate walk. Worth knowing before you promise a small child.

Practical notes:

• Arrive before 5:45 p.m. for a view of the lighting
• Early December evenings here are cold. Dress for standing still.
• The Vance Street lot is the venue, so park elsewhere downtown
• The artist night market is a genuine shopping opportunity, not a token

Free throughout. This is the earliest of the confirmed tree lightings in the county this year, two days ahead of Cary's.

Ice skating at a town tree lighting is not standard and it is the thing most likely to occupy children for the hour before the ceremony. Expect a line for it, and expect that line to be at its worst immediately after the choral performances finish.