Christmas uptown, Christmas downtown

Christmas is everywhere.

Right here in the wild, wild West. Floating upon the water, beaming out of lighthouses, soaring with the birds. It’s as ethereal as angels and as grounded and gritty as “America’s Main Street,” Route 66.

And, of course, it’s inside Santa’s Claus’s impossibly overstuffed bag of goodness.

Santa himself will swoop into Vancouver today to light the toweringest tree in Esther Short Park — which you cannot have because it belongs to everybody. But you can take as many shots as you like at acquiring any of those other themed trees, which were lavishly and imaginatively decorated by local designers.

One dozen custom Christmas trees are flaunting their unique attractions right now at the Hilton Vancouver Washington, where you can buy $5 raffle tickets and maybe take home a beautiful new friend for the season. The drawing is 4 p.m. Sunday, and you need not be present to win.

While you’re at it, you can meet Santa and Mrs. Claus, take in some live holiday music and a special edition of the “Hello Vancouver!” talk show, have a chat with a Talking Tree, shop at the Vancouver Farmers Market indoor holiday market, check out the Southwest Washington Model Railroaders’ delightful model train display and even ride around Esther Short Park on a bigger (but still charmingly little) choo-choo train.

There’s almost too much fun to keep track of during this weekend’s Festival of Trees, an annual fundraising extravaganza staged by Vancouver Rotary, which supports all sorts of scholarships and community projects; last year’s scholarship grant total was nearly $80,000.

Reindeer games

All of which adds up to one busy, jolly downtown Christmas. But plenty of Christmas is afoot in Uptown Village, too — and because of convenient scheduling, you need not miss either one.

An Uptown community tree lighting is set for 5-7 p.m. Saturday, in front of Compass Church, corner of Main and McLoughlin. The following weekend, from 1-4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 4, the street 2200 block of Main Street will be closed for a free “Christmas in the Village” Block Party — featuring holiday ice sculpting, photos with Santa and Mrs. Claus, live music, kids’ activities, the Coca-Cola Polar Bear, and, of course, cookies and cider. Local vendors will gladly share their finest holiday wares. Free gift wrapping will be available.

But the biggest attraction, predicted key organizer Michael McClafferty of Vancouver Pizza, will be a three-hour personal appearance by Blitzen and Comet, members of the official Santa Claus Flying Reindeer Sleigh Drive Brigade.

Actually, McClafferty said, the reindeer come with a trained handler from a Spokane-area business called Reindeer Express, which rents and leases reindeer and camels. “We love that they’re Washington state. It’s a tricky thing, there are a lot of strict rules about where you can get them.”

(But Reindeer Express’ Frequently Asked Questions web page ducks the big one: Do reindeer really fly? “Santa is the only one with the magic dust to do that. We are just the training camp,” it says. In other words, we do our part, but as far as achieving actual liftoff, you’ll have to ask Santa.)

By the way, McClafferty said that Vancouver Pizza, which has been closed for an ambitious remodel and expansion in recent weeks, should be back open for business in time for “Christmas in the Village.”