That’s the official West Seattle Junction Christmas tree, on the south edge of Junction Plaza Park, officially lit during tonight’s GLOWS (Glorious Lights of West Seattle) festival, after a countdown led by Junction entrepreneur (and Christmas-lights enthusiast) Jack Menashe, six of his grandchildren, and Santa Claus:

Once the tree was on …

… it was time to start the projected community-contributed art display on the side of Alaska House on the north side of the park – we recorded some of this first-ever display on video, but you really had to be there to appreciate it:

One more report to come from tonight’s festival – some of the performances from Jay Cates’ All-Star Ensemble of West Seattle musicians! (Here’s our first report, with photos and video from the first two hours.)