Photo by Cheryl Landes

The Christmas holiday season officially kicked off tonight in downtown Vancouver, Washington, with the lighting of the tree in Esther Short Park and the Vancouver Holiday Market across the street at the Hilton Hotel.

Dozens of local vendors fill two large meeting rooms and the hallway in the hotel’s conference center. They’re selling art, crafts, jewelry, and food.

During our stroll through the market tonight, we saw jewelry made from paper and copper, soaps, toys with catnip, homemade dog treats, jam, canned olives and garlic, cookies, locally roasted coffee and hazelnuts, coasters made from recycled glass, and beautiful throw rugs made from Pendleton wool scraps. And that’s barely scratching the surface.

We also heard a special concert by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra featuring holiday classics. The hour-long concert ended with the orchestra backing the audience in singing “The Twelve Days of Christmas.”

The Vancouver Holiday Market continues through Sunday, December 1. Hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. tomorrow and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free.

The Hilton is located at 301 West Sixth Street. Garage parking is available at the Hilton and other locations nearby for a fee. Street parking is free on the weekends.

The holiday market is sponsored by the Vancouver Farmers Market.