Pondering the Christmas Parade

“But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see – I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people. . .”  (Luke 2:10 NRSV)

Our family attended the community Christmas Parade this past Saturday evening. It was a 90 plus minute procession of one fire truck, police vehicle, pickup truck, float, civic group, local business, Mack truck, Semi-Truck, pickup truck, band, church group, politician seeking office, social service organization, pickup truck after another. There were a lot of lights illuminating the vehicles and pedestrians, way too many grinches in costume, several blow up decorations (a few of them ambulatory), and Santa at the end. It was your typical small town Midwestern parade – well attended, safely conducted and enjoyed by children, families and watchers of all ages. For my money (it was free) it could have been about 30 minutes shorter and tightened up a bit – reducing big gaps between entries. But hey, it was free, and I appreciate the effort volunteers make in helping such an event happen in today’s world.  

As a people watcher I find parades kind of interesting. It’s interesting to watch those in the parade and the outlandish things they will do and wear to get attention. It’s also interesting to watch the people who are watching the parade. Children often take center stage holding their collection bags over safety barriers in hopes of candy and freebies. Parents of said children are interesting to watch as they encourage their child to “see” what’s coming next, say “thank you” when given a treat, or cover their ears if the noise of a particular exhibit is overwhelming.

I was present as a grandad and not directly responsible for anyone given that the grands parents were all present. I noted the woman who brought her chair and set up next to our party. She was prepared – chair, blanket, earmuffs, and solid winter gear. She seemed a bit disinterested at times, but I get it, how many local business’ advertising pickup trucks can one get enthused over? Yet when the high school band finally came down the street, she perked right up. She even recorded a video of their performance. “She must have a kid in the band”, I thought to myself.  This thought was further reinforced when she packed up and left soon after the band had gone by. I understood. I’ve been that band parent, sitting in the cold waiting for the band to arrive and perform.

A couple of additional observations come to mind from this parading spectacle. I was heartened to once again note the diversity that exists in our hometown. This was not a one look parade – it included people of all skin tones, as well as diversity in expression, faith profession, and persuasion. It seemed that one entry in particular was making a statement about their ethnic heritage, which I appreciated and applauded in this climate of ICE deportation threats. Not only was their performance well-rehearsed and presented, I found them to be brave. 

My other observation was that people were having a good time. I noted how many greetings were shared between parade participants and parade watchers. “Merry Christmas” rang out over and over again, as well as the aforementioned “thank you.”  Maybe I’m reading more into things than is merited, but I had the sense that people were enjoying being together in public, in celebration of a seasonal event that gave everyone reason to be on the same side. Even the entries related to folks running for office seemed understated. How nice to put aside “news” and “social media” messaging, and cheering for opposing teams, or debating divergent ideologies, and instead just be in common space for common purpose.

Maybe you see what you are looking for, or what you need. Maybe that’s why I found myself seeing and hearing and thinking about what I write. At 6 p.m. on a Saturday I wasn’t listening to troubling state, national or world news; I was celebrating good news, the Good News of Christmas. There needs to be more of this, would you agree?

© Daniel M. Cash, 2025