Raleigh Christmas Parade
November 19th @ 930am
I was rather surprised when I found out that the Raleigh Christmas Parade was happening before Thanksgiving. I was intending to put it on the to-do list in December, but apparently somebody important (1) had different plans and they made it happen in mid November. It worked out rather well though. The weather was as good as we could have asked for. As far as my overall view of the parade, well, it was a parade, it had people, animals, and people dressed up as animals and cops and firemen and cops dressed up as firemen, ok that one may not be accurate. But it was a parade like any other I had been to. In one word I’ll describe it as “pleasant”. So now that we got my official review of the parade out of the way we can talk about my experiences at the parade.
While I was at the parade a guy asked me “What do you think about parades?” I thought about it for a second and then honesty slipped out, and I responded with something like “I find parades to be rather odd in all honesty. I feel like for the most part it’s a bunch of no-names and semi-important people dressing up and crying out for attention. I mean I have a rather large ego and it doesn’t compel me to decorate a trailer with toilet paper and dress up like a princess and then look down my nose at the peasants as I wave and go past.” He laughed really hard and I wasn’t really trying to be funny, but then I laughed too because I didn’t want to make it awkward (2).
But then we saw the people from WRAL go by on a float and we talked about how they said it was going to be cold today and in all honesty it was B-E-A-UTIFUL!! (3) Then I said “We should boo them for always getting the weather wrong!” and again people laughed. And, again I wasn’t making a joke, but I too laughed as though I were (4). So anyway, it was a beautiful day, people were having fun, kids were enjoying themselves, parents were secretly competing for better spots for their kids to view the parade from (5).
All of this gave me and idea. Why don’t they have kid zones (6) for the parade. The intersection we were standing at by Second Empire on Hillsborough st & Harrington st would have been the perfect place for a kid zone. But they could place these kid zones every other block. It would be good for the kids because it puts them all together so when a character comes by, saaaayyyyy The Grinch or Santa Clause he can be sure to visit this concentration of kids to maximize his exposure to the kids. Makes things easier for him and better for the kids. Plus it ensures the kids get a good view and gives the parents a bit of a break (7).
At some point someone said, “Can’t wait for the Grand Marshall Scotty McCreery!” And I got a rather shocked look and honestly awkward moment when I asked the rather innocent question of “Who’s Scotty McQueery?” (8) And some lady gave me the most evil look like “Ok, now you’ve just gone too far!” And then they started talking about American Idol and I wish I had never opened that can of worms.
But yeah, all in all the parade was fun. I really enjoyed all the people I didn’t know and couldn’t name if my life depended on it wave at me as they road past atop their chariots made of blood, sweat & paper-mache. Which reminds me, BAH HUMBUG!!
(1) – At least more important than me, which isn’t really saying much.
(2) – I love to create awkward moments, but for some reason I just wanted to go with the flow of things. What can I say, I guess deep down I’m a people pleasure.
(3) – Reference from Bruce Almighty.
(4) – I really don’t enjoy people pleasing.
(5) – I’m a people watcher and I watched a lot of people trying to slide themselves and their kids closer to the parade like, “Screw those people who got front row cause they got here an hour before the parade started!” Btw I love those people, cause they make people watching fun!!
(6) – I think I just made this up but in my mind it’s basically a marked off area, maybe 2ft high plastic walls, with a 1 inch thick padded floor that only the kids can enter. Overall dimensions maybe 20×10?
(7) – I don’t know, just an idea I had, haven’t really thought it through.
(8) – No pun intended (seriously). I had no idea who the guy was and unintentionally mispronounced his name.