While post-turkey fatigue begins to set in across the metro, the downtown area is about to come alive. A now decade-old tradition, the Holiday Lights Festival, gets underway Thanksgiving evening.

The Mutual of Omaha and Mutual of Omaha Bank lighting ceremony begins at 6 p.m. at Gene Leahy Mall, following musical performances which start at 5:30 p.m.

More than a million lights will set more than 40 city blocks aglow when Mayor Jim Suttle flips the switch at 6:15 p.m.

Hours before events began, the Shea family enjoyed some time at the slides of Gene Leahy Mall.

While the holiday lights tradition is twice as old as 5 year-old Grace Shea, it’s something she and her family have come to know well. "Yeah, we do,” said her mother, Maureen Shea of Omaha. “We love the lights down here."

The mild Thanksgiving weather inspired them to get outside before dinner. “At Grandma’s,” says Grace. While turkey’s on her mind, her sister, 4 year-old Lilly, hoped something else might be on the menu.

"My favorite food is strawberries," says Lilly. It may not have been what the pilgrims had in mind, but the girls do have the right idea, giving thanks.

“That God made us,” says Grace.

“To be healthy,” adds Lilly.

Their mother couldn’t agree more. "We have a lot to be thankful for. We're thankful that we're healthy and we're thankful that we get to be together."

And she's grateful for the sound of her girls' laughter heard amidst the lights almost invisible, until nightfall.

The Holiday Lights Festival kicks off five weeks of downtown Omaha events. Several shops and restaurants in the Old Market will be open until at least 8:30 p.m. Thanksgiving night.

The festival also begins ConAgra Foods’ “Shine the Light on Hunger” campaign. A temporary ice-skating rink on the company’s campus will open December 10, with all proceeds donated to the food bank.

For a complete list of events, Click here.