The day after Thanksgiving, the Fourth Street Elevator sponsors the Christmas Candle Walk Weekend. This event can get people into the Christmas spirit. Downtown merchants put luminaries on the sidewalks.

Families who stay in town or who come from out of town come with their kids. As the families wait anxiously for Santa to come down, the downtown stores are open to anyone. They provide a warm place for people to come into while they wait. The people who want wait outside can buy hot chocolate from a stand.

At this family event, the main celebrities of the night are Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus. The kids who come to this gather towards the front, closer to the elevator, so that they can meet Santa right when he gets off of the Cable Car.

After Santa and Mrs. Claus come down the Cable Car, they greet the many kids that awaited their arrival. Then they go to a nearby shop, Shamrock Jewelry, where they sit on the porch, and kids have the chance to sit on Santa’s lap and tell him what they want for Christmas.

“I thought it was really cool because so many people were there getting for the holidays together. There were many families spending time together. I also saw many kids who were all so happy to see Santa. It was an awesome experience going to the Fourth Street Elevator that night,” said Marybel Medellin, ‘17.

Christmas is a time when families can make memories and start new traditions. For some families, watching Santa arrive on the Fourth Street Elevator has become a tradition to go to on the day after Thanksgiving.

The Christmas Candle Walk Weekend is held on Nov. 27, 2015, from 5 to 7 p.m. This really is the kickoff to Christmas in Dubuque.