Nick Wilson/Daily Mining Gazette Santa Claus lifts a small child up and poses for a photo during the annual Christmas Walk Friday in Hancock.

HANCOCK — On Friday night, crowds gathered on the streets of downtown Hancock to kickoff the holiday season with the annual Christmas Walk.

Quincy Street was alive with the sights and sounds of Christmas as kids and adults strolled along the sidewalks sipping hot chocolate and viewing the festive decorations. Trees and lamp-posts lining the street were adorned with Christmas lights, and the City Hall clock was lit up in vivid green for the occasion.

Hancock businesses also helped spread holiday cheer with elaborate decorations in store fronts, and in some cases, promotions and giveaways.

This year, the event featured a variety of activities. In City Hall, kids decorated Christmas cookies, while in the Finnish-American Heritage Center, holiday stories were read aloud. Hot coco was available, and burn barrels were set up in strategic locations to help attendees warm up on the chilly December night.

The Grinch also made an appearance at the event, and could be found dancing and posing for pictures in Whoville, located on Quincy Green.

On the Southern end of Quincy Street, Michelle Anderson had a booth set up for Keweenaw Wild Bird, a nonprofit that performs bird education and wildlife rehabilitation for native migratory birds.

Anderson’s booth gave kids the opportunity to make their own bird-feeding decorations out of pine cones, peanut butter, and bird seed. First, kids selected a pinecone. Then, they slathered it in peanut butter and rolled it in a tray of birdseed.

The pinecone could then be taken home and hung from a tree branch for a decorative and tasty snack for chickadees and other bird species. Anderson said that her booth had received a good turnout, and that she was happy to be participating in the event.

As 5:30 p.m. approached, crowds gathered in front of Memorial Park, eagerly awaiting the parade and the appearance of Santa Clause. Kids stood on their tippy toes and craned their necks to watch Santa and his elves approach atop a fire truck decorated in holiday lights.

Santa reported that his flight from the north pole had been comfortable thanks to a well-heated sleigh, and cookies and hot chocolate packed by Mrs. Clause. As the clock struck 6 p.m., the crowd cheered as Santa helped to light the Christmas tree in Memorial Park.

Santa distributed holiday goodies, and kids got the chance to tell him what they wanted for Christmas. Their requests ranged from toy trucks, dolls, and Legos, to slime. In an exclusive interview, one attendee who recently turned four, told the Gazette that he would be asking Santa for a dinosaur.

Santa stayed to talk with all of the kids who had queued up to see him, and by 7 p.m. most of the crowd had dispersed. As the event concluded, everyone seemed in excellent spirits and ready to embrace the holiday season.