Glasgow Christmas Parade

If ever there were a year to attend an evening Christmas parade, it was this one.  A daytime high of 65 degrees and a very mild night was perfect for our family to ring in the Christmas season at the Glasgow Christmas Parade. 

We walked to South Green Street, where we found our precious Italian neighbors, the Petucine's, waiting for the festivities to begin.

 Having never been to a night time Christmas parade, I really didn't know what to expect.  Turns out, I was so glad it was Hadley's first parade, because it was a magical experience.  While we were still waiting for the parade to begin, a man walked up and down the street handing out bags to collect all our candy. 

There was also a man selling cotton candy and glow-in-the-dark necklaces and light sabers.  I decided these people were hard core when it came to parades. Hadley was beside herself with anticipation over what was to come.  She really didn't understand what was going to happen, which made it even more fun. 

The floats were just beautiful.  Every vehicle in the parade was decked out in Christmas lights from top to bottom.  The Grinch and Shrek both made appearances.  The Grinch showed up first and Hadley darted for me as fast as she could.  When Shrek appeared later, she was slightly more prepared. 

Mr. Petucine helped Hadley get candy.  He would look ahead and see people coming, and say, "Hadley, Hadley, come here."  He helped her hold the bag,
which was as full if not fuller than it was for Halloween.

Hadley proudly commented that she did NOT want that candy to be used for her potty treats.  Potty treats that she doesn't even "need" anymore, I might add, but that we still just give her :)

At one point, the sheer excitement of everything caused Hadley to break out into dancing in the streets.  We laughed at her until our sides hurt!  We've never seen her ham it up like that in front of people she isn't super comfortable with.  Priceless!!

Sweet boy never made a peep through the whole parade.  And the bands were pretty loud!

The most highly anticipated parade guest......Santa Claus!!  What a perfect ending to a perfect parade.  So excited for the Christmas season!