Santa sparks holiday cheer

Turns out not even Santa Claus is perfect. 

Santa sat on a throne in Five Points Park last night, a 34-foot Christmas tree behind him and a crowd of about 50 anxious eventgoers in front of him, all counting down to the big moment — when he would plug in the the downtown tree.  

"Five, four, three, two, one..."

Santa joined two ends of an oversized extension cord and the tree was lit, but not for long. 

While setting the cord down on the ground, Santa made a mistake and unplugged the just-lit tree. 

Although he was quick to correct his error, he wasn't without embarrassment. He nervously chuckled as he hid his face in the crook of his elbow. 

Parents laughed, but the children didn't seem fazed by the big man's momentary mishap. They gathered around Santa to make their Christmas wishes. 

The event was hosted by the Downtown Merchants Association and featured music from the Music Compound and a charity toy drive sponsored by the Libertore Foundation. 

This year the association traded in its former 15-foot tree for 34-footer to the tune of $20,000. Downtown Merchants Association president Ron Soto said that was in addition the $75,000 worth of holiday decorations the association put up downtown, some by Soto himself. 

The decorations may seem excessive to some. Yet Soto said seeing how people react to the lights makes it more than worth it, and he's not done yet. 

"I'll stop when we decorate (downtown) from 41 to 301," Soto said.