For the 53rd year, WRAL-TV turned the 300-foot tower outside the station's Raleigh headquarters into the biggest, brightest Christmas tree in the Triangle.

A tradition that started in 1959 with Capitol Broadcasting Co. founder A.J. Fletcher reading "A Christmas Carol" has grown and changed with new technology, but it remains a family tradition for many. Slideshow     WRAL tower lighting starts holiday season

Musical entertainment provided by the Millbrook Madrigals set the tone, and Southern Snowman created a wintry wonderland for those who came out to see the tower lit live.

The tower is covered in over 2,800 lights, which stay there the whole year but are only lighted during the holidays. Before the lighting, maintenance workers test every single bulb to make sure everything is in working order.

The lights went on just after 6 p.m. They will stay on until New Year's Day.