Santa and the Parade of Lights 2011

Friends know how bonkers I can go over a parade. And I'm a nut when it comes to Santa. I had such good experiences with Santa as a child. Not because he brought us scads of gifts, because he did not. He came to our house every Christmas with a few gifts, the biggest oranges and fifty-cent pieces. Sweet memories for me.

Here are a few (poor quality) of photos of Santa and his two helpers astride horses in the staging area for the 2011 Parade of Lights.

SANTA 2011 IN PARADE OF LIGHTS STAGING AREA

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Photos taken in the staging area - 28 floats, many with generators crowded into a parking lot - talk about an exhaust buzz! It was exhilarating waiting for the start of the parade - and duct taping and re-duct taping connections on the float.

And then there was the crowd downtown. Note how close they stood to us. We were in a pick-up towing a car trailer. Several semis had to navigate that crowded street!

It was fun. Made me want to go home and bake cookies and sweet breads to share.

PARADE OF LIGHTS 2011