Beach Town Christmas Parade of Lights

On the night after Thanksgiving, In Seaside Oregon, our family attends the traditional Christmas Parade of Lights.

Each year businesses, 4-H clubs, and the local beauty queen join kids on bikes and our cheerleaders in a parade of lights on Broadway, our downtown main street. Hot chocolate, wassail, and gingerbread men are served, while rain, starlight, or snow, the parade goes on.

We bundle up the babies and kids and sip warm drinks, catch candy thrown from floats, and chat with neighbors.

This year, there wasn’t as much hugging and there was some social distance as we joyfully gathered for the first time in two years. The pictures look crowded but we were all space respectful and grateful to feel just a little more normal in 2021.

When the last fire truck in the parade passes we usually sing carols and follow Santa to the tree lighting where we count down like New York on New Years eve. Kids line up for Santa and parents visit.

I loved holding baby Rylee, watching the fun, and plotting a way to get Santa in my next book…

See you when the tide comes in!

Shannon Symonds, Author