CHICAGO (CBS) – The glow of 50,000 lights will illuminate Millennium Park as the City of Chicago prepares for the 110th Annual Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony, and CBS 2 proudly led the festivities.

People were gathering for the big countdown Friday afternoon to light up the 45-foot tree full of holiday spirit.

‘Tis the season to lace up your skates, get on the ice, and feel the holiday spirit like Dan Metzger and his stepson, who hit the rink on the warm November Friday. The pair were visiting from Iowa. They said their goal was “to just be good and not fall.”

“It’ll make some memories, that’s for sure,” they said.

Steps away, those on dry land were able to get a head start on their holiday shopping in Chicago style. The Wicker Park staff from Pink Monster set up a booth for their local shop inside the Holiday Art Market.

“It shows how artistic Chicagoans are and how crafty we are, and not just that, but we’re very into supporting small businesses,” said the staff.

Tune into CBS 2 at 6 p.m. for the official tree-lighting ceremony.