Excitement!

I usually moan and groan that nothing exciting ever happens here.  I stand corrected.

Last evening I had just finished with supper when I heard a commotion in the street in front of my building.  Curiosity got the best of me and I went to the window to find out what was going on.

When I looked out I saw a pickup truck decorated with Christmas lights pulling a float with even more lights.  This was followed by another truck and float.  I was watching a Christmas parade!

There were at least 15 floats, all lit up and carrying people who were tossing candy to the kids lining the street with their parents.  There was a dance studio group full of kids in costumes that had the Christmas lights on them.  They danced on down the street to the sounds of Christmas music.  The local fire department was having a good time walking along giving out candy and they were followed by one of the fire trucks, completely covered in lights.  There was a group of kids on bikes who had strings of lights woven in and around the spokes of the wheels.  There was a decorated snowmobile on wheels (no snow here as yet) pulling a decorated cart holding a small Christmas tree.  I'll bet I saw at least four Santas.

About a half hour after the parade had passed by I heard horse's hooves clip clopping on the pavement.  There was a team of horses pulling what looked like a long hay wagon full of kids and their parents.  And standing in the street outside my window was Santa himself, talking to the kids and posing for pictures.

Did I mention the fireworks?  There were fireworks as good as the ones on the 4th of July.

Each year my town puts up a huge Christmas tree in the center of the downtown area.  On the first Friday in December, they have a tree lighting ceremony followed by rides in the horse drawn wagons.  But this is the first year they have held a Christmas Parade.  Or had a fireworks display.

It was fun to watch the families enjoying the razzle dazzle of the parade.  And I think I had just as much fun as the kids, watching the parade pass by under my window.  I hope it becomes an annual tradition.