Scores of people ushered in the holiday season at Wareham Village Association's annual Christmas on Main Street celebration on Saturday, which culminated with a new tradition: the lighting of a 30-foot tree in front of Town Hall.

"The kids are ecstatic," said Wareham Village Association event coordinator Jacqueline Lindsey, following a Toe Jam the Puppet Band performance at Piper Beau's, which kicked off the event.

A scavenger hunt through Village Association businesses followed (the prize was, fittingly, a Christmas ornament), and businesses hosted everything from photos with Santa to a coloring contest to arts and crafts.

Lindsey said she could tell that the Christmas on Main Street attendance was up from last year, when bitter cold weather, coupled with the location outside the former Main Street visitor center in the municipal parking lot, likely kept some would-be attendees indoors.

"What we're about is bringing business to the businesses," Lindsey said, pleased with the turn-out.

Later that afternoon, the annual Christmas parade made its way from Merchants Way to Town Hall for the tree lighting. The parade featured the Boys & Girls Club, Boy and Girl Scouts, the Wareham High School Marching Band, and even the cast of Wareham Community Television's "Your Daily Gumbo".

The crowd consumed nearly 500 cups of hot cocoa, and then formed in front of Town Hall for the lighting of the 50-year-old tree, which was donated to the town by the A.D. Makepeace Company and moved to its new home on the Town Hall lawn via flatbed truck two weeks ago.

Town Administrator Mark Andrews and Board of Selectmen Chair Jane Donahue welcomed the crowd to the tree lighting.

"This is the time of year that we come together in the Christmas spirit," Donahue said.

Andrews convinced attendee State Senator Marc Pacheco (D-Taunton) to lead everyone in a couple of Christmas carols, and then, after much anticipation, the big tree was lit. It will sparkle until New Year's.

Got photos? E-mail photos of Christmas on Main Street events to jaime@warehamweek.com, and we'll add them to our photo galleries!