The 29-foot Christmas tree was artificial, but the community spirit was genuine as an estimated 1,000 people turned out Wednesday night at Veterans Memorial Park to launch the holiday season.

It had been years since downtown Napa put up a holiday tree, so organizers were expecting maybe a few hundred people for the lighting ceremony.

Instead, the crowd filled Veterans Park nearly to overflowing. When the free hot chocolate and gingerbread cookies ran out early, the genial crowd of children, parents and grandparents feasted on dancing by Napa Valley Language Academy’s ballet folklorico and students at Napa Valley Dance Center, then joined in a holiday sing-a-long.

Downtown merchants pulled out all the stops this year, wrapping buildings on First and Main streets, the downtown bridges and every street tree and light pole in sight with three miles of white lights.

As part of the $125,000 spectacular, merchants put up an impressive tree at the corner of Third and Main and decked it out with radiant clusters of purple grapes.

“This a wonderful thing to get the community out,” said Linda Stoltz of Napa. “I’m happy to live in little ol’ Napa where they take the time to do this for the community.”

Back at home, her Christmas tree was already up, Stoltz said. Wednesday’s lighting ceremony bolstered her already sky-high holiday spirit, she said.

Doris Ellsworth, a Napa grandmother, said the evening’s mild weather had encouraged people to come downtown. It was warmer than last summer’s Fourth of July celebration, she insisted.

Mayor Jill Techel joined Rep. Mike Thompson, Supervisor Brad Wagenknect and Councilman Mark van Gorder in flipping the symbolic switch that turned on the lights on the tree.

“We need to do more events like this where people can see kids, see neighbors,” Techel said. “People want to come together again.”

Techel praised Thompson for helping to get the annual federal flood project appropriations that paid for the setting for Wednesday’s event: the grassy amphitheater at Veterans park, the river promenade and the new bridges.

Thompson’s comments were short and to the point: “Have a great Thanksgiving, a great holiday and shop local,” he said.

Wednesday’s tree lighting was a warm-up for the parade, a stream of illuminated vehicles and floats Saturday at 5 p.m. on First Street.