Hello everyone!
Happy Christmas to you!
Last evening, I made a quick supper of salmon patties and creamed peas. Then my Lowell and I headed downtown to enjoy the lighting of the mayor's Christmas tree and the annual Carthage Christmas Parade. Thousands of twinkly lights adorned the square, and lots of happy people turned out for this fun event.
We found a parking spot just off the square. It was perfect. We were able to stand by our car and watch the parade go by just feet away from us. We were even able to exchange Christmas greetings with many people in the parade as they passed by.

So often, during the Maple Leaf Parade, we find ourselves sitting in a spot where the band marches by in between songs. Last night, they were playing Christmas tunes as they cheerfully marched by us.
I think my husband's favorite part was watching the old cars go by. There were some real beauties.
My husband drove an old Nomad station wagon when we were first dating. It was nothing like this one!
What Christmas parade is complete without a Santa? Unfortunately, we missed the one at the end of the parade... I'm not sure how. This one shall suffice.
I think that this float was the cutest of all. I remember that my kids loved to sing Grandma Got Ran Over by a Reindeer to their Grandma Judy when they were little. She got so tickled, and they loved it. I took pics of the display, but they were blurry. ~sigh~
I don't even know what this one was supposed to be, but the sheer number of lights was dazzling.
The best display was done by Carthage Water and Electric Plant. They had two electric poles mounted at opposite ends of the float. There were electricians hanging on the poles like they were fixing the electricity! If you look closely, you can see the poles at the back of the float.
It's always a bit of a challenge getting off the square after events.
We took side streets and passed Sparkle in the Park. One of these evenings, we'll go walk through. I've heard it's a whole different experience when you're immersed in the lights.
It's now Tuesday morning. I'm off work today, and I've dedicated this day to Kringling. That will include:
- This blog post
- Baking cookies
- Christmas cross-stitch
- Sewing
- Hand quilting
- Writing at least one Christmas card
- A Christmas crafternoon with my Amy
So, I'm off to heat up my drink and start those cookies. I'll make chocolate chip pecan this time. I was given a big bag of milk chocolate chips. I used some last week and was surprised at how delicious they are.
Enjoy the day ladies!
Laura
Happy to Kringle