Nonprofit hosts annual holiday community tree lighting

"We just wanted to shine bright and bring joy around the Christmas holiday season."

HAWLEY, Minn — It’s finally beginning to look a lot like Christmas for one community in Minnesota.

The Hawley Women of Today nonprofit organization is kicking off the holiday season by spreading some Christmas cheer with their fourth annual community Christmas tree lighting.

Community members lined their cars alongside the lot to experience the magical event from a safe distance while elves handed out Christmas cookies and candy canes to provide a wonderful experience for families to enjoy.

“The women of today, organization that I’m part of, we decided that we wanted to sponsor it, but we needed help so it’s sponsored by four of our nonprofits locally so we just wanted to shine bright and bring joy around the Christmas holiday season in our little town of Hawley,” Event organizer, Kristen Halden said.

The Christmas tree stands above 40 feet tall and will remain lit until new years day.