Small Town Christmas

The first year I attended the Sebring Christmas parade, having spent the previous 10-15 years in Nashville, TN, I was appalled and slightly embarrassed by all of the rigamarole. Sure, it was cool that the kids got to march with their dance class or ride on a "float" but I had never envisioned "float" to be synonymous with SUV pulling hay trailor with some tinsel stapled to the side and hand-written signs announcing the company that was being advertised. This, however, is my 4th Christmas parade here and I absolutely love it. Last night my friend pulled up a lawn chair for me right in front of the police station and I sat, waiting expectantly for the small town extravaganza. I was not disappointed. Led by a screaming police car siren and the colorguard I stood reverently (thanks to the prompting of my friend who was raised in an era where not standing before the flag was taboo) and then sat back down to watch hometown creativity coming to life. The middle school DARE group shouted their motto to stay off drugs while grouping together in cliquish marching groups. The county commissioners waved from the back of convertibles donated for the occasion by the largest car salesman in town. The radio station (there's only one local station) float blew bubbles into the air (FL snow, I believe they were trying to simulate) and the local paper was led by 6 alpacas with reindeer antlers attached. The 4-H groups led well-brushed dogs and a wagon with bunnies in cages followed by a float with pigs. And, of course, every schools marching band was represented with dance teams and a couple of churches. The community church sported an amped up (in many ways?) music director singing carols with an electric guitar though I didn't see the church I saw last year with the giant white cross AND nativity on the trailer bed. A man dressed up quite elf-ishly with a guitar and amp on his back as he roller bladed the streets of downtown. All in all, it was wonderful. I can't imagine anything drawing community together more than homemade floats. Oh, and I forgot the many golf carts with strings of Christmas lights on them. It wouldn't be Christmas in FL without them. Where was my church? Well, as much as we're growing, we still haven't caught the "community spirit" that sets Sebring apart. We're kinda removed from the culture given our distance, and so we'll await another year to join in the festivities. So I just sat in my lawn chair with my sparkling Christmas vest on and watched my kids marching with their cheer team just as proud as pie (because that's what you say in small town parades). And then, in the dark, I walked two blocks by myself in the downtown to the post-parade party at the girls' gym. What a wonderful night!