STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK

Children trudged through the Duck Pond that had been drained for the winter, rolling snowballs into snowmen.

An ice carver sawed a triangle through a Christmas tree sculpture he was building in front of the Sun Valley Inn. Vendors hawked jewelry and other wares at a nearby open-air European-style Christmas Market.

And snow accumulated on the red knit hats of members of the Faculty Lounge as they performed a robust round of creatively arranged Christmas carol medleys.

Children and their parents seemed to enjoy walking through the Sun Valley Inn Duck Pond, which has been drained for the winter season.

Sun Valley Resort turned into a Winter Wonderland Saturday evening as a few hundred people gathered for the annual Christmas tree lighting amidst steady snowfall that ended up dumping nine inches of snow on the ski resort.

Sun Valley General Manager Pete Sonntag reminded those in attendance not to take such memory-making events for granted.

It’s a testimony to the Holding family, who owns Sun Valley Resort, that they keep the tradition going year after year, he added.

An ice carver cuts out a Christmas tree-like triangle in his Christmas tree sculpture.

The “It Happened in Sun Valley” chair outside The Boiler Room got a 30-second pause between people climbing on it for photo ops.

Santa Claus, pictured here on the Inn drive-through did make a brief appearance, urging the crowd to help him perform the countdown to the lighting ceremony.