The City of Syracuse rang in the holiday season with the annual tree lighting ceremony in Clinton Square. Hundreds gathered downtown to get a glimpse of the beacon of cheer. The Crandall family squeezed into the crowd to carry on their five-year tradition.

With Thanksgiving behind us the Christmas season is in full swing in Syracuse. To start off the holiday, the City of Syracuse will host its annual “Home for the Holidays” Tree-Lighting Ceremony in Clinton Square on Friday,

Syracuse, N.Y. — The city of Syracuse will host its annual tree lighting on Friday. The event features music, ice skating and, of course, the lighting of the 42-foot tree. The event starts at 6 p.m. in Clinton Square with music by Sydney Irving, a local indie/pop rock artist, and then a performance by Trump Tight 315, a rhythm and blues, funk band.

But with public anger in Saudi Arabia and the wider Middle East at fever pitch over Israel's military actions in Gaza, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has again made recognition of Israel conditional on it taking concrete steps to create a Palestinian state,