Ever since I was a child Christmas time has been my favorite. My birthday is in December, so it has always been the most enjoyable time of the year for me. This past Friday, December 2nd was my 19th birthday. It looked a bit different this year because I was not able to celebrate with my parents and little sister. Fortunately for me Sunday, December 4th was the annual Farmville Christmas parade. Christmas parades give me a sense of nostalgia because I used to twirl fire batons for many years in my hometown’s Christmas parades. The Farmville Christmas parade was by far one of my favorite events I’ve been to this semester. I enjoyed watching it so much that I decided to do a little bit of research about it.

The Farmville Christmas parade for 70 years has been sponsored by the Farmville Jaycees. From an article, I found in the Farmville Herald “the Farmville Jaycees are a group of young and active citizens coming together to work for a common cause and to build a sense of community while positively impacting their community.” For the Farmville Jaycees to be able to bring so many people together and coordinate such a big parade in a relatively small town is astonishing considering that all the parades I’ve attended or been a part of in the past were all much larger communities. This year the parade started at The Department of Motor Vehicles on North Virginia Street and 2nd street and then moved west after that on 2nd street to the North Main Street intersection at Mcdonald’s. This is about a half of a mile, 13 minute walk. Similarly to the parades I’ve been in, there are many participants in the Farmville parade, including churches, fire departments, marching bands from high schools, and small local businesses. Not to mention there are also nonprofit organizations like motorcycle clubs, and other groups. Each year’s parade has a unique theme that participants are encouraged to customize in order for the judges to select a winner at the conclusion of the event. Participants were urged to create their floats and vehicles in keeping with this year’s love motif since the subject was A Valentine’s Day Christmas: Hearts and Love. I loved the idea of this instead of just the traditional red and green Christmas decorations. Seeing everyone dressed up and all the floats decorated in this theme brought a smile to my face. Even though it was quite chilly, I still enjoyed every minute of it.

Who’s ready for the Christmas Parade?