It was the official Christmas holiday send off this weekend in my small village and neighbouring slightly bigger town. Now this big time city girl is used to marching bands from places afar and big corporate floats with minor celebrities aloft. Minime and I made the annual Vancouver Santa Claus Parade just about every year it was held. We would deck ourselves out all Christmasy, which usually involved lots of green and red, flashing lights, courtesy of Dollarama, and reindeer ears to boot. We would grab a couple Starbucks, coffee for me, steam milk for Minimi. Maybe the addition of whipped cream. The Starbucks Christmas cups quite added to the mood.

With me appropriately caffeinated and Minime mildly sugared, off we go to the terraced green that offered seating at just about the beginning of the parade. If it were a good year, I had remembered a blanket or two. Fingers crossed the rain would hold off or stop. It was Vancouver after all and so we also brought umbrellas. The parade generally went on for at least an hour, and one was forced to dance and sing along, even if it was only butt dancing, to stay warm and not get parade-fatigue. It is a thing. As a self-respecting mother, it was my job to embarrass my near teen child as we sat among the masses. Sing loud and clear for all to hear or Santa's sleigh won't fly. The sleigh always flew with me around. And I wonder who taught Minime to make a spectacle of himself.

Our neigbouring town, definitaly came out for their event. But with only a few thousand residents and local businesses, and not corporate sponsors creating the floats and financing the night, the event could only be considered quaint in comparison to a big city offering. I had to giggle when my sister who has lived in a small town for most of her life asked me if Vancouver had a parade. Now it could have been the syrup that I had spiked my egg nog with, but I did enjoy the smaller and homemade parade offered up by my neighbours and the addition of short-type family members.