Nicole Richie and Joel Madden flipped the switch last night at the UNICEF 2008 Beverly Hills Snowflake Lighting Ceremony. The ceremony officially launches the beginning of Christmas season in Beverly Hills, it’s when all the holiday decorations on Rodeo drive are lit up. At 6pm, Nicole and Joel turned the lights on to much fanfare and celebration.

Here’s a video of Nicole headed to the salon before the big show, then backstage getting ready.

UNICEF hopes that the newly lit snowflake will act “as a beacon of hope, peace and compassion” for everyone during the holiday season. Here’s a promo video they released about the event:

Nicole looked gorgeous in a violet satin dress and Joel looked pretty snazzy himself in a blazer and skinny tie.

More photos below the jump!

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Nicole Richie and Joel Madden were one of several celebrities to participate in a promotional video for Believe in Zero, a new campaign from UNICEF that is working to eradicate poverty and preventable diseases in children in developing countries. Lucy Liu, Mia Farrow, Whoopi Goldberg, Alyssa Milano, Laurence Fishburne, Clay Aiken and many others make appearances.

Believe in Zero is a cause that Joel Madden strongly believes in. He recently went to Africa as a UNICEF ambassador and made another promotional video of his own for Believe in Zero.

To find out more about the organiztion, or how you can get involved, visit Ibelieveinzero.org.