 "Photo: Kim Espinosa")
 "Photo: Kim Espinosa")
For Luci Borowski, the tree lighting and sing-along at the Capitol on Saturday meant it was one step closer to Christmas.
Borowski, 5, rode the city bus with her brothers and parents to the celebration and said she hasn't missed a year since she was born.
The Capitol tree lighting and holiday sing-along is an annual Austin tradition that takes place on the first Saturday in December. KUT and the Downtown Austin Alliance partner up to host the event, though both traditions existed separately long before they joined in 2002.
The family-focused event drew between 6,000 and 8,000 people last year and grows larger every year, said Stewart Vanderwilt, director of KUT. The partnership with the Downtown Austin Alliance has helped get the downtown corridor involved with the Congress Avenue Holiday Stroll, he added. Restaurants and retail stores adorned with holiday decorations stayed open late to accommodate ceremony attendees.
After an hour of singing holiday songs followed by a 10-second countdown, colored lights illuminated the 40-foot Texas Cypress tree placed outside the Capitol gates. John Aielli, a KUT radio host, then led the crowd in singing "O Christmas Tree." The tree arrived last Monday and was decorated throughout the week by Austin Energy and Downtown Austin Alliance employees.
Though songs such as "Away in a Manger," "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" and "Silent Night" appear in the songbook and are sung during the sing-along portion, the event is not intended to be a religious ceremony.
"It has no religious focus and is intended for people of all faiths to enjoy," said Nancy Burns, chairwoman of the Downtown Austin Alliance. "It is a fun event for families and I've never heard anyone complain about the faith connection."
Songs are added to the songbook over the years and provide a variety of carols to choose from.
"The kids always shout out songs they want John [Aielli] to sing, but they aren't always in the book," Vanderwilt said. "Now we have a combination of secular and sacred carols."
Vanderwilt said the sing-along has taken place for more than 20 years and started inside the Capitol. As the audience continued to grow, the sing-along moved to the south steps of the Capitol, which Vanderwilt said is the "perfect stage."
Before the celebration starts every year, children entertain themselves by rolling down the steep grassy hills outside the Capitol building. Though children are usually not seen rolling around on the fenced-in lawn, Burns said Capitol officials are very receptive to hosting the holiday
tradition.
"They even put a permanent tree stand in the sidewalk when they repaved it a couple years ago," she said.
The majority of the participants at the ceremony were young children like 7-year-old Marina Monsivais, who came with her sisters and dad. Monsivais heard about the sing-along from her friend in Brownie Girl Scouts and asked her dad to bring her. Though it was her first year participating in the event, she said she hoped to be back next year, but wanted to sing "Deck the Halls" and "The Twelve Days of Christmas" first.
About 20 employees of The Center for Cancer Care in San Marcos participated in the sing-along as part of their company's Christmas party. The adults were kid-less on Saturday night, but Jody Cody, who works for the center, said, "You don't need kids to come and celebrate, because people of all ages celebrate Christmas."
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