parading around

It's here already, Christmas, I mean. December arrived 4 days ago. The kick off to the holiday season is marked with a parade and this year it fell on the Dads weekend, insert large gasp of horror. The girls and I have never missed one yet. I casually mentioned to him when he came to pick them up that it was the parade and that they would like to go and he asked me to join them...alrighty then. I of course had to drive and sort everything out but that was not a problem. We went. Together.

It is the strangest Christmas parade ever because it has flamingos and other utterly unChristmassy things like scary looking Aztec Indians with glowing red eyeballs, guaranteed to give all small kiddies nightmares but this is Miami and this is what we have. Oh and this year, mere seconds after Santa's float passed by, void of Mrs Claus she went racing down the parade root in a squad car with lights and sirens....I'm still not sure what that was meant to signify. But again, we don't ask, we accept. We had a good time, some of us more than others and then we went to dinner as we always do.

All photots taken with my phone and not edited in any way shape or form.
Waiting for the parade

The actress from the kids Disney show Austin and Ally was the MC this year

stilt dude

a flamingo

a sea monster

A snake from Zoo Miami with the ever so personable Ron Magill

What is Christmas without stilts????? 

More stilts

Blurred Olaf..or perhaps he is melting. its hot in Miami

Nothing says Christmas like Billie the Marlin

Not sure if this will play but it is a marching band, lots of high school bands.

and finally, Father Christmas 

Waving to Father Christmas

And finally because nothing scares my little girl as much as this in a Christmas parade.
I would love to know who the person was who didn't have the balls to stand up to whomever and say, NO, this isn't appropriate, for a kids parade. It has no political agenda it is just a simple no .  For goodness sake.

Ho ho ho.