The City of Mauldin celebrated the start of the holiday season with the annual Mauldin Christmas Tree Lighting. The Greater Mauldin Chamber of Commerce presented the Tree Lighting along with the SC National Guard, inviting Aubrey Jackson of WYFF News 4 to host the evening ceremony. The audience enjoyed musical performances by Mauldin Elementary, the Shining Stars, Bethel Elementary, and duo Samantha Clifford and Josiah Thomason. Cristina Ortiz with State Farm sponsored the event and handed out hot cocoa to guests.
More than 500 people attended to enjoy the festivities.
The Christmas Tree Lighting was a part of a larger event hosted by the city, Mauldin’s 12 Days of Christmas, which is organized by the Chamber of Commerce and the Office of Cultural Affairs. Along with the Tree Lighting, guests were invited to take pictures at Santa’s Workshop, located at the little log cabin outside of the Mauldin Cultural Center. With professional photos by Pro Shots Studios, free toys, and Santa’s elves hard at work, families enjoyed a fun meet-and-greet with Santa Claus himself for three nights.
Other events included the Mauldin Christmas Parade, organized by the Chamber of Commerce, which included floats from churches, businesses, scout troops, organizations, and many more, ending with the Mauldin High School Marching Band leading the one and only Santa Claus down Butler Road. Several holiday-themed arts education classes are held at the Mauldin Cultural Center until the 12th, and Take Heart Church will host a movie night with Santa on December 10th. The Cultural Center is also hosting a Holiday Market on December 8th (from 4-8PM) and 9th (from 10AM-2PM), with free entry and various unique vendors from the Upstate.
Mauldin’s 12 Days of Christmas will end with two events on the 12th. A Christmastime Wassail Walk will be open to the public to attend for free from 5:30 – 7:30PM on the 12th. Guests check in at the Cultural Center for a map, then follow the candlelit path to participating shops, where they can enjoy Christmas cookies and tasty wassail, warm cider, hot tea, cocoa and coffee, as well as special holiday deals inside the shops. Participating stores include Robinson’s Jewelers, Rainbow Paints and Antiques, Kane Collections, The Mad Vaper, and Low Country Shrimper.
Following the Wassail Walk, Brandon Dyke’s guitar students will perform in their free annual showcase inside the Cultural Center Auditorium, demonstrating how far their hard work has brought them over the past year.
The Mauldin Cultural Center holds various events throughout the year, including holiday celebrations, concerts, comedians, arts education classes, theatre productions, and the annual SOOIE. BBQ festival. All details, tickets, and registration information about Mauldin’s 12 Days of Christmas as well as other events can be found at mauldinculturalcenter.org.♦
