My Favorite Christmas Parade Ever

There's something about a small-town parade.

I'm not sure I'll ever be able to watch one without getting a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes.  Maybe it's the marching bands, maybe it's the shining faces of the children who sit by the side of the road and soak in all the sights and sounds, maybe it's the flag being carried by old men who have fought in wars, the horror of which we can't come close to comprehending.  Whatever it is, it gets me.

When we watch the Independence Day parade, at least I can hide my teary eyes behind sunglasses.  For the Christmas parade, the best I can do is hope that in the darkness, no one looks closely enough at me to notice that I'm trying to keep drops from rolling down my cheeks.

No one else in my family seems to have that trouble.  Last night they cheerfully waited for the parade to start and the candy to be given.

Moriah cuddled cozily in a soft onesie, inside a warm sleeper, inside the puffiest, sweetest snowsuit you ever saw, under a fuzzy blanket.  It really wasn't that cold--maybe 50 degrees? or in the high 40s?  Not like some years when you can see every breath and your hands begin to go numb and you can't quite feel your toes anymore and you just pray that the end of the parade comes quickly so you can walk to your car and warm up a little on the way from the exercise and then crank up the heat as soon as you get in it.  Last night wasn't like that, but I still didn't want her to be cold.  :)

Snug as a bug in a rug, that girl, and cute as a button.

We craned our necks to see when it would begin.

And then it did, the blue lights of the police motorcycles leading the way.

One of Jeff's co-workers got to ride in this mighty snowplow along with her husband and her baby who was born exactly three months after Moriah.

And then, after we had seen dozens of participants--cloggers and musicians and horses and skaters and old cars and floats and trucks and bands and so much more--go by, the best part of the parade came rolling along.

The float of the Shenandoah Valley Children's Choir!

This was the first year the SVCC was in the parade and, as a result, Josiah and David got to do something none of the rest of us in my family has ever done: be in a parade.  Unfortunately for us, they happened to be on the other side of the float, so we didn't even get to see them as they made their way down Main Street.  On our side of the float, however, was the sign (for Jess' Quick Lunch--a downtown Harrisonburg landmark) that I had made for the float.  So there's that.  :)

Jeff was manning our other camera that can take videos, so he managed to capture this:

I'm not exaggerating even a smidgen when I say it was my favorite parade ever.

Other thoughts from the parade:
~ there were SO MANY people in JMU's marching band...they kept coming and kept coming and kept coming, row after row of sharply dressed, skillfully playing musicians and marchers...impressive!
~ if I didn't have anything else to do with my time and sat around the house all day bored to tears, I would definitely take up clogging...it looks like so much fun!  :)
~ David's only hesitation about being in the parade was missing out on the candy that was given to the spectators...fortunately when he saw all the candy that Tobin and Shav got and that we brought home to put in the candy jar to share with the whole family, he was satisfied that his quota of candy would be met...don't tell anybody, but I think I'll go have a piece now...hmmm, should I have some Skittles or a Starburst?  tough choice...very tough choice  :)