Despite heavy snowfall throughout the day, Lemont officially ushered in the holiday season Saturday with its Hometown Holiday celebration.

Residents enjoyed a number of activities, including ice sculpting, holiday crafts, carriage rides, pictures with Santa, and free hot chocolate and cookies. The evening was capped off with Christmas carols from the Lemont Girl Scouts and the lighting of the village Christmas tree in Budnik's Plaza.

Nearby in Talcott Square, residents also enjoyed the second annual Kris Kringle Market. This year, the market's vendors sold German food, candies and handcrafted gifts.

"This is our way of giving back to the community and giving residents something to do in town with their families," said Petal Play Design owner Viviana Grasso, who helped organize the Kris Kringle Market. "With the weather being what it was, downtown Lemont looked like a beautiful Christmas card."

Editor's Note: If you have photos from the weekend's holiday events, e-mail editor Amanda Luevano at amanda@patch.com or upload them straight to Lemont Patch!