GALVESTON -- On the front lawn of the Hotel Galvez, bagpipers and carolers set the mood on Friday night as the mayor and Santa lit the official Galveston Christmas tree. 

While still recovering for the hurricane, the rest of the city was also preparing for the holiday season.

The Strand, which was hit hard during the storm, is still inching forward. The Christmas decorations are up, and shopkeeper signs promise that they'll be open by next weekend for Dickens on the Strand.

Store owner, Todd Flores, plans to be among them. He and his family just finished putting the final touches on shop.  It took them over two month to repair the damage that the hurricane and the six feet of water left behind.

"We just want to get our store back and the Strand back," said Todd Flores, owner of Tola Mo Bettah Market.

More tourists were on the island this Thanksgiving weekend than any other time in the last two and a half months.

That's what made this year’s Christmas tree lighting different.  It was a holiday celebration and an open invitation to come back.