M - Children's Christmas Parade in Dallas

This year marks our third outing to the Neiman Marcas Adophus Children's Parade in Dallas. It's become a family tradition and each year I'm reminded why it's worth the effort. We have a great time and I might enjoy it as much as the kiddos. There are just a handful of activities that make me feel 'kid-like' again at Christmas time and going to a parade is one of them for me. When I was a kid we usually made it to the downtown Christmas parade in Ardmore and, in hindsight, boy did those floats pale in comparison to these.

The latest census bureau data show that there are approximately two giant Asian gentlemen living in the USA. One plays for the Houston Rockets and the other, apparently, attends children's parades in Dallas with his wife and daughter. I had initial concerns when Giganto appeared next to us but I thought "This is one huge dude. He is probably well-versed in ensuring his hunormousness does not interfere with those sub-7ft mortals around him." Giganto could have easily stood behind us or, perhaps...the hotel...and still enjoyed a full view of the parade. Nonetheless, Giganto lovingly blocked my view though much of the parade and this behemoth was so tall I couldn't even see the Comerica skyscraper across the street (perhaps a little exaggeration on that one). Here is a picture of Giganto next to my brother-in-law Brian.

Next is a picture of SANTA, the final float, the pinnacle of the parade, the...wait, you can't see Santa? Yeah, neither could I. But Giganto could.

I'm sure Giganto is a great fella, well-loved by all who know and look up to him.
SO, enough sarcasm, now on with the report!

Here is Katie enjoying some cotton candy. Click on the first picture to get a better view of my baby's beautiful blue eyes (and mouth!).

Frosty makes his way down the street.

Next comes mine and Noah's favorite float...THE GRINCH!

Curious George, Bob the Builder, and some big jolly penguins

Overall I'd say we had a great time once again. We watched the parade from in front of the now apparently defunct Dallas Grand Hotel. It was a great spot, really, and had it started to rain we could have easily ducked under cover. This picture was taken just after the parade ended.

The parade lasted over an hour, had too many floats, bands and balloons to count and apparently had 350,000 in attendance with 118 million viewing it on over 300 channels in 159 markets. Could I put any more stats in one sentence? Next year we'll try even a little harder to get there even a little earlier and get even a little closer to the curb and have even a little more fun. If you feel like going let us know...we'd love to have a whole crew there together. I highly recommend the parade as consideration for one of your new family traditions.

Here are some pics from 2005 if you are interested. Enjoy!