Santa Claus Came to Town in Orient

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Orient now that the Christmas tree at is lit up.

Escorted by members of the , Santa Claus arrived in his sleigh on Friday night at about 6:30 p.m. and flipped the switch, illuminating the impressive evergreen tree as it swayed in a stiff wind that was coming off the bay at the entrance to the park.

The cold clear night made a perfect backdrop for the evergreen tree that stands nearly 40 feet tall. The crowd at the 23rd-annual ceremony enjoyed hot dogs, hot chocolate with marshmallows and cookies from the bakery at Cutchogue's

Susan Lakowitz, a Greenport native who works at the King Kullen bakery, said she decided to attend the tree lighting when she heard about it at work on Friday afternoon. 

"They came in to buy cookies for this, and it sounded like fun, so here I am," Lakowitz said.

Cassie Kanz, her husband Martin Faint and their 15-month-old daughter Pheobe Faint drove over from Peconic to attend the tree lighting for the first time.

"We have a baby now so it we decided to do this," Kanz and Faint said, adding they were also lured by the promise of chocolate candy.

Park Superintendent Susanne Weuhler was in the holiday mood as she turned out to meet and greet the crowd assembled on the lawn at the park's entrance.

A miniature replica of the Bug Lighthouse, the real version of which is located in the bay just off East Marion at the tip of Long Beach Bar, attracted a lot of attention from the crowd. Park workers made the model and put it on display a few feet away from the massive spruce, where it will remain for the holiday season.

students sang Christmas carols while proud parents took pictures and shot videos of the event.