Wendy Johnson stood behind the bleacher seats at the Outlets at Vicksburg holding her daughter, Anna Lynn, and straining to see her nephew, Caleb Stevens, who was on stage singing with the first- and second-graders from Bovina Elementary.

“We love it out here,” she said. “Seeing the lights and listening to the music and seeing the stores all decorated for Christmas. We come here every year.”

Johnson and Anna Lynn were among the estimated 600 people attending the Christmas tree lighting ceremony at the Outlets of Vicksburg, which featured musical performances by school groups and individuals, carriage rides around the mall and the arrival of Santa Claus who came to the mall riding atop an antique fire truck escorted by a Warren County Sheriff’s Office SUV.

The tree was lit soon after Santa’s arrival, with the lights coming on in stages as the crowd gave the countdown.

“This is a great crowd,” said Mani Chanprasith, the mall’s marketing and events manager. “It looks like it gets bigger every year.”

The clear night sky and a cool temperature of 55 degrees helped set the atmosphere for the event as many people attended the ceremony in jackets and wool hats. The Salvation Army dispensed hot chocolate, and soon ran out.

Parents hoisted their cell phones to get pictures of the Sherman Avenue kindergartners and the Bovina students performing. Solo performances of Christmas music were provided by Vera Ann Fedell and Anne Elizabeth Buys of Vicksburg, who as Miss Turtle Creek was one of the masters of ceremony.

“I’ve been coming here all my life,” said Buys, a sophomore at Hinds Community College. “I performed here when I was little, and got to watch Miss Mississippi emcee here. Now that I’m a titleholder I have the opportunity to emcee. This is a good way to start Christmas.”

On the other side of the stage, Bovina music teacher Jennifer Tillotson was keeping her charges together as they waited for parents to pick them up.

“We haven’t performed here in a couple of years,” she said. “The first- and second-graders love to sing and love to show off what they’ve learned.”

Latoya and Ferbale Carr were waiting for Santa with son Shoane and Ferbale’s niece, Brooke Steed. Shoane performed with the Sherman Avenue kindergartners.

“I’m waiting to see Santa,” he said. “I’m going to ask him for a puppy.”

For Brittany Matherne, the ceremony was a coming home event.

“I now live in Baton Rouge,” she said as she held daughter Brittany and watched her son, Bruce. “I always loved coming out here to watch the lights, and the carriage ride was pretty nice, too.”

On the west side of the tree, another event was kicking off, with the Salvation Army opening its Angel Tree and kettle programs in conjunction with the tree lighting.

“We have been coming here and doing this a long time,” said Trudy James, Salvation Army Auxiliary first vice president. “The mall invited us to do it. The Salvation Army band provides music for the ceremony and we come along.”

The Salvation Army has had the Angel Tree project every Christmas season for 100 years. The program allows people in the community to purchase toys and other necessary items for children and senior citizens who might not receive anything for Christmas.

James said the Salvation Army will have Angel Trees at the outlet mall and the Vicksburg Mall. “The (U.S. Army) Corps of Engineers has a big one at their Vicksburg District with 150 names,” she said.

She said the families are selected for the program in October, and parents are asked to suggest gifts for their children.

“We try to provide the basic needs, and include a toy so the children will have something to enjoy.

James said the requests for the children have been changing to include school uniforms, coats, bed linens and other items. She added the Salvation Army has restrictions on the type of toys for children, which excludes toy weapons.

She said people can pick the name of a child or adult from the tree and purchase items. Once the gifts are acquired, they can be taken the Salvation Army’s receiving area near Dillards in the Vicksburg Mall.

“The deadline for providing gifts is Dec. 5,” James said. “We will distribute the gifts Dec. 10. We ask people who are giving gifts for someone not to wrap them so we can match the gift to the individual’s request.”

The receiving center will be open Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m., James said.