Countdowns and cheers filled Main Street Saturday night as each spider was turned on for the holidays. The holiday cheer filled downtown Bozeman for the 42nd annual Christmas Stroll.
No stroll is complete without carols and, of course, the man of the hour.
“Santa Claus! We saw Santa Claus,” said Henry and Megan Tasker.
Thousands of kids and families welcomed Santa to town, but I’ll be the first to say Mr. Claus has some explaining to do to Megan and Henry.
“Did you say hi to Santa? Yes! Did he say anything back? NO!,” says Megan.
As the sun set, and the Christmas decorations stood out in the dark, thousands from near and far took part in the festivities. Charlie and Josh Fowler happened to be vacationing in Bozeman from their warm state of Tennessee.
“It's cold, it's very cold here. Temperature shock for sure,” said the Fowlers.
But even though the temperatures were cold, the holiday spirit kept them warm.
“This is amazing,” says Charlie.
“Yeah you guys know how to do it,” says Josh.
For the Cary family from Missoula, the Christmas Stroll is a place for them to start new family traditions.
“Bringing him here for the first time here; so far he's loving the trees and the lights, so I think he's going to really enjoy it,” says Jenna Cary.
For many, the season is about taking a step back.
“It's time to reflect on everything you're grateful for,” says Josh Cary.
For many families, their first time to the Christmas Stroll won’t be their last.
“To come back down here but also letting him have all the experiences and be able to reflect back on him,” says Jenna Cary.