Clawson tree lighting brings city closer together

CLAWSON — The city of Clawson kicked off the holiday season with its annual lighting of the tree at Memorial Park on Dec. 3. 

Despite the cold weather, approximately 200 people attended the lighting, according to Alec Speshock, executive director of the Clawson Chamber of Commerce. 

“It was a great night. Obviously, we had the fun of snow and the chilling temperatures. The snow was beautiful and it made it a fun night, but the cold and wind was a little rough,” he said. “Outside of that we had a great turnout this year.”

The event was elevated this year with new activities for families and kids to enjoy. 

“At the library there were crafts for the children, they were making Cheerio ornaments that they could hang on the trees and the Cheerios would feed the critters around, which is always a cute thing to do,” he said. 

Speshock said that the event included coffee and desserts provided by Ellie’s Carts, a local business that sells baked goods, along with the traditional hot cocoa and cookie station in the community room. 

One of the highlights of the night was when Santa arrived via fire truck, greeting the kids while bringing the holiday excitement.

“We also had the choir from Clawson Public Schools and Grace Apostolic Church  form together and perform all of the wonderful Christmas songs we know and love,” Speshock said. “It was a very eventful night, and very fun. We had pictures with Santa over at the community room, and then we had letters to Santa that the kids could write.”

Speshock said that one of the most memorable moments of the evening was watching the kids write their letters to Santa. Once the letters were written, the kids could either hand their letters directly to Santa, or put them in a “letters to Santa” sack. 

“My volunteers that I had working at the table were telling me at the end of the night all of the fun conversations that they had with the different kids,” he said. “They were all trying to make sure that their letter goes to the North Pole, making sure it goes to Santa. I think it sort of adds to the joy and wonderment that a lot of people forget sometimes. It was cool to be able to hear those moments that were being shared throughout the night.”

Scott Jennex, the director of recreation and senior services for the city of Clawson, said that the event is a great way to bring the community together.

“It’s a night that captures the ‘Little City with a Big Heart,’’ Jennex said. “People from every corner of our little town come out, and this week it happened to be very cold and snowing and people probably wouldn’t go outside unless there was a good reason to, but still we had a really good crowd of people come out and experience the togetherness and the time together.”

Having big events, like the Christmas tree lighting, in Clawson is a staple for the residents and surrounding communities, and each year the holiday events just keep getting bigger and better, according to Speshock. 

“It’s about giving back to the community. It’s taking the time to find a way to bring everybody together during the holiday season and make something special about it,” he said. “It’s an opportunity for the parents and for the generations that have been doing the tree lighting for years to come and enjoy a tradition. That’s the nice thing about the small town vibe of Clawson. It’s generational.”

For more information on the city of Clawson, visit cityofclawson.com.