Woodstock’s Lighting of the Square begins season of holiday events; Christmas parade Sunday

Woodstock lit up downtown for the holidays Friday at the annual Lighting of the Square, with highlights including Santa’s arrival and photo ops, Dickens Carolers and, of course, Woodstock Willie.

The Lighting of the Square also kicks off the winter season in Woodstock. This weekend, a Christmas parade is scheduled to step off at 2 p.m. Sunday on the Square, followed by Cookies and Churros with Santa at 240 N. Throop St.

[ See all the photos: Woodstock's Lighting of the Square  ]

Other holiday events coming up include a gingerbread house walk, with creations on display at the Old Courthouse through Dec. 22, and horse-drawn carriage rides from 2 to 4:30 p.m. Dec. 8, 15, 22 and 29.

Crystal Lake also inaugurated the holiday season Friday with its Festival of Lights Parade, with an Island Christmas theme this year.

The holiday season in Woodstock runs through Groundhog Days in early February, and the holiday lights will stay up until after Woodstock Willie – the groundhog, not the mascot – will tell us on Feb. 2 whether an early spring is on the way. Groundhog Day is “part of a tradition rooted in European agricultural life, marking the midpoint between the shortest day of the year on the winter solstice and the spring equinox,” according to The Associated Press.