To really appreciate the tradition of Light Up Night and the transformation it brings to Downtown Pittsburgh, you need the perspective of a veteran participant.

"I think I've been to every single one since I was 1 or 2," said Shane Middleby, an 11-year-old who made the annual trip from Cheswick into the city last night with his mother, Darla Middleby, and his little sister, Laurel.

"I always look forward to it. I was just talking about it in school. I love Christmas because it's very spiritual. And I like Santa's Spectacular."

Last night marked the 15th Light Up Night sponsored by the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, kicking off the holiday shopping season with hours of music, dancing, food and fun. Christmas trees are lit, store window displays are unveiled and the skaters take to the Rink at PPG Place. The evening is capped by Santa's Spectacular on the stage in Point State Park and a fireworks display.

The Middlebys, with the experienced Shane acting as guide, started the evening watching the ice carving and gawking at the gingerbread houses. There was a lot of ground to cover between the Roberto Clemente Bridge, One Oxford Centre, PPG Place and The Point, but everyone was up for it.

"It's pretty spread out, but that's a good thing. It makes it less crowded," said Shane, a sixth-grader at Dorseyville Middle School in the Fox Chapel Area School District. "We do a lot of walking. But I like it, because we take breaks and we look at the scenery.

"You can walk right down the middle of some of the streets because the policemen have it covered and the streets are closed off [to vehicles]. If people were just jammed onto the sidewalks, it would be too crowded.

"It's a little crowded, but it's still fine. Everybody's polite here, and we're all here for the same thing, because we all enjoy it."

Occasionally, when there's a policeman on a horse or a free candy cane being given away up ahead, Shane's sister, Laurel, 9, darts ahead.

"She gets excited," Shane said. "I think I'm a little more mature than her because I'm older. I used to be like that."

The family watched some of the ice skaters, listened to some of the music being played outside Macy's, then tried to catch one of the free horse carriage rides. Unfortunately, the line was too long.

"We'd like to ride one of the carriages because my mom enjoys it because it's nice and she loves horses," Shane said. "I usually am [considerate] like that, but I'm especially like that now because it's Christmas."

But the true meaning of Light Up Night is not lost on the boy. He is aware that it is intended to entice shoppers into coming Downtown.

"This is for people who love shopping. You know 'Jon and Kate Plus Eight'? Kate would love this," Shane said. "I don't really like the shopping part, but my mom does. So we look at stuff. I look at sporting things, like Penn State and the Steelers."

There were moments of frustration. Construction in Market Square and near Gateway Center created pedestrian bottlenecks that put people elbow-to-elbow.

"It doesn't get too hectic. But sometimes you get a little impatient because the little kids are running around and you almost bump into them," Shane said.

At The Point, where Santa made his grand entrance, the Middlebys stopped by the various booths set up by local businesses. The lines for free samples of salsa and hot chocolate were too long, but they nabbed free glow sticks from the Duquesne Light workers and the family was able to get a free photo taken at the AT&T tent. Shane also sampled a sandwich from the Silver Star meat table.

Later, while passing through the crowd, Mrs. Middleby gave her son a dollar to donate to the woman collecting for Children's Hospital.

"It's all about supporting people and helping people in need and people who are sick," Shane said. "And we need to have money that doesn't come from taxes."

As they waited for the climax of the evening, Shane remarked on the crowd and how the nice weather seemed to bring out more people than he could remember from past years.

"We've been here when it was really freezing," he said. "But those years, you just dress in layers and put feet-warmers in your shoes. This year, it's really nice. It's a beautiful night. I didn't put [my sweater] on until about 20 minutes ago."

The Middleby trip Downtown for Light Up Night is one that Shane is determined to continue. He said he'll one day bring his own children into town for the show.

"It's a lot better than a lot of things you'll do. It's a lot better than sitting at home and doing nothing. I think it's worth it," he said. "You need to get here early to see and do everything. But we had school. Next year maybe we'll get here earlier. And then we can do the carriage ride."

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