Residents of Salem were treated to an evening of snacks, Christmas sing-a-longs, and a visit from Santa at the Salem Recreation Commission’s annual tree lighting on Dec. 5.

Recreation Commission chairman Sue Spang said it was a great night for the event, and the commission has been hosting it for at least 30 years.

“My son is 22, and I’ve brought him every year,” she said. The commission originally held the event outside but brought it inside about 15 years ago.

Residents gathered in the old schoolhouse on the town green to sing Christmas carols as eighth-grade students from Salem School donned elf hats and served donuts, hot chocolate and cider as part of their community service requirement. Fred Marion worked the crowd with his guitar, inviting kids to lead the audience to sing “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “Frosty the Snowman,” and other Christmas favorites.

Santa arrived shortly before 5 p.m. to join in a rousing rendition of “Jingle Bells” before leading everyone outside for a countdown to the tree lighting.

Before he headed back to the North Pole, Santa and his “elves” handed out candy canes to the children and listened to their Christmas wish lists. The elves closed out the evening with a jingle bell parade and more songs.

a.hutchinson@theday.com

Twitter: @ahutch411