Tree-lighting ceremony herald start of season

Santa's visit was the culmination of the ceremony at Freedom Park, which featured the lighting of a 29-foot-tall Leyland cypress.

The evening featured musical selections by Fort Gordon's Signal Corps Band and the Youth Challenge Academy gospel choir. There also was a candle-lighting ceremony and the singing of carols.

Brig. Gen. Randolph P. Strong, Fort Gordon's commanding general, called the tree-lighting a "joyous occasion."

"It signifies the beginning of the holiday season," he said.

Though the holidays are happy times for most, there are many in the Fort Gordon community who are separated from their families at this time.

"Many have deployed from Fort Gordon," he said.

He urged those gathered at the ceremony to remember them and their families who are making sacrifices during this season.

"This tree-lighting does not belong to any one faith. For the Jews, there is Hanukkah and the festival of lights. For the Muslims, it is the joyful following of Ramadan," he said. "For Christians, it's the celebration for the birth of Christ."