The Victorian Holidays Celebration, set for Dec. 1, will launch the local holiday season, complete with the lighting of the Port Townsend holiday tree and the arrival of Santa Claus, who will ride on the Kiwanis Choo Choo Train. The event, organized by the Port Townsend Main Street Program, is free to attend. Festivities will be held from 1 to 3 p.m., with caroling in the downtown streets led by the Wild Rose Chorale. The tree lighting will happen about 4:30 p.m. at the Haller Fountain at Taylor and Washington streets. After the tree lighting, families can go to the Cotton Building for a special visit with Santa. Java Gypsies will offer hot cocoa to kids for $1 per cup just outside the building. Stores will be open until 7 p.m., and event organizers encourage participants to enjoy dining and shopping in uptown and downtown Port Townsend. Participants also may want to view the storefront at 823 Washington St. as it begins an ongoing transformation into “Winter Window on Washington Street.” The transformation will continue throughout the holiday season. Tree installed The tree, donated by the Ryan family, already has been set up and is awaiting its official debut, said Mari F. Mullen, Port Townsend Main Street Program executive director, adding it will take nearly 30 volunteer hours to decorate the tree with decorations that came directly from the “North Pole.” Volunteers also have been busy sprucing up the surrounding areas with holiday decorations. “Our holiday helpers have already decorated the Haller Fountain with cedar garlands, strung white lights on Taylor Street trees, and hung the wreaths on the streetlights by the ferry dock,” Mullen said. The annual tradition, organized by the Port Townsend Main Street Program, began in 1987. “It was begun as a project by the Port Townsend Main Street Promotion Committee, led by Main Street staff and volunteers, who are still coordinating the promotion today,” Mullen said. The tradition remains strong in Port Townsend because “we believe in Santa,” Mullen added. And, she noted, it is great for the economy. “We want to support our local economy and our hard-working entrepreneurs who offer amazing holiday gifts right here in our hometown,” Mullen said. “We invite everyone to keep your money where your heart is and shop locally.”