The streets of downtown were bustling the night of Dec. 4 with parents pushing strollers, children screeching at the sight of Santa Claus and dogs decked out in their best plaid sweaters for a night of holiday cheer.

The Carol of Lights, which grew from a simple tree lighting ceremony into a downtown extravaganza, had been sponsored by the city of Campbell. However, tough economic times forced the city to announce early this year that it had to cut the $38,000 event from its budget. Downtown businesses and community members stepped up to save the occasion and form the Carol of Lights Committee, to ensure the event would go on. The committee was headed by Sally Howe, a downtown business owner and publisher of The Campbell Express, and included business owners, civic community groups and the Campbell Chamber of Commerce.

This year's festivities brought back some favorite Carol of Lights traditions, such as a play area filled with snow, which this year occupied North Central Avenue between Civic Center Drive and Campbell Avenue. A long line of children and parents eagerly waited their turns in the white wonderland. Once inside the area, participants had snowball fights and enjoyed a makeshift sled area.

Santa Claus and his elves, in true Silicon Valley style, drove down Campbell Avenue in a flashy blue Porsche, escorted by a three police officers on motorcycles, flashing their red and blue lights.

Santa happened to be an "authentic Kiwanian Santa," according to Jim Free, a member of the Kiwanis Club. "The kids are just having a great time, and that's the main point," Free said.

There were also some new attractions, including a petting zoo with bunnies, ducks, a pig and goat. There was also a carousel-style donkey ride. Donkeys were hitched to a wheel pulling little ones around. Carolers from Westmont High School and other local organizations stood on each block filling the night with familiar Christmas tunes. The Del Mar High School Performing Arts students also delighted the crowd. With a chill in the area, many strollers were able to grab a free cup of hot cider or chocolate to enjoy with a bag of popcorn.

There was an inflatable jump house and inflatable slide for children, along with a face-painting booth staffed by Home Church and a character artist.

The volunteers from the Campbell Museum were also out in the chilly night air, selling lots of lights that sparkled and twinkled, with all the proceeds going toward the historical museum.

A manger scene sat in front of Campbell Memorial Chapel. Many children's groups, such as the West San Jose Storm Cheerleaders, were given a chance to perform for the evening.

Debra Pursell, her husband and daughter, who live near Campbell in San Jose, came to the Carol of Lights for the first time this year.

"We heard how the community decided to keep the event going, so we decided to come down and support it," she said. "It's wonderfully thought out."

This year's Carol of Lights cost about $20,000, according to Howe. She said 100 volunteers worked on the event.

The festivities, which kept the downtown hopping for four hours, drew a large crowd as the night wore on. Even the long lines for the snow play area and the pony rides snaking down the streets didn't dampen people's spirits. Errant snowballs hitting passersby on their heads only elicited good-spirited laughter.

"This year blows last year away," said Joe Talmage, a Campbell resident and member of the Campbell Kiwanis Club. Talmage is the advisor for Key Club, a high school community service organization affiliated with Kiwanis Club. The nonprofit youth group has been an active participant in helping with the event each year. This year Talmage supervised about 60 members volunteering for the evening.

"There's more of that underdog feeling," he said. "When you get something taken away, it means that much more to you."

Many of the downtown stores stayed open to accommodate the large crowd. Diners at Mio Vicino braved the cold weather to sit outside and watch the festivities. Some stores, such as Toastshop, stayed open later than usual for the event. Toastshop owner Laura Jaeger put out cider and cookies for her customers and marked everything in her store down by 10 percent for the day.

Another boutique, Simply Smashing, was also open late.

"I'm very involved with the Downtown Campbell Business Association, and I'll work with everybody to keep Campbell on the map," Simply Smashing owner Deb Rohzen said.

Christine and Ed Jesser of Los Gatos said they bring their Saint Bernard Lacey to the Carol of Lights each year.

"She likes to come here and hold court," Christine Jesser said.

After the event closes, the couple said they like to let Lacey play in the snow from the snow play area.

"This is a favorite thing of ours, and we were very disappointed to hear it might not have been returning," she said. "But this year is just as wonderful as before."

Jennifer Hartmen of San Jose came to the Carol of Lights for the first time this year to help her daughter, Hailee, celebrate her first Christmas.

"All the lights and the people are really nice," Hartmen said. "You don't see this in San Jose."