Two Parades in One Year!

Another tradition in Chehalis is the annual Christmas parade. It was held the same day at the Santa breakfast, and marked our second parade of the year. It was a banner year for parades for the Dickason family!

I was unable to watch all of the parade, as I was in rehearsal for the bell concert (more on that later) but the rest of the family, including Ernie’s parents, were able to enjoy it. For a small community, Chehalis can put together quite a long parade. It included fire trucks, horses, classic cars, and Santa of course. But my favorite part of the parade was the LARP group.

For those unfamiliar with LARP, it stands for Live Action Role Playing. Usually, it consists of young adults (who probably live in their parents’ basements) acting out medieval scenarios in a park, complete with costumes and foam weaponry. A friend of mine in Bellingham lives near a park where a LARP group meets. She always thought they were kinda funny as she walked her dog in the park on Saturday mornings. Thinking of her, I asked Ernie to get a picture of the parade entry so that I could send it to her. Well, he wasn’t able to get the camera out fast enough, so he ran ahead along the parade route to get a picture. (If that isn’t love, I don’t know what is!) Anyway, one of the guys in the group saw Ernie taking pictures and thought he was interested, so he made sure to give Ernie a flyer. Then later he found us along the parade route and made sure Ernie knew the specifics of where and when to meet in case he wanted to join the fray. Best part of the parade for me, hands down.

Sophia had a great time and was able to score some candy. She really enjoyed seeing Santa and Mrs. Claus at the end of the parade riding in their sleigh. Kaitlyn was a trooper, for sure. It was VERY cold that day, and she was bundled up and enjoyed being held throughout most of the parade so that the adults could make sure she stayed warm. And the adults made a note to wear warmer socks and buy hand warmers for next year!