Even though winter does not arrive to the desert until December 21st, it sure felt like winter last night at the 16th annual Palm Springs Festival of Lights Parade.  Thousands of people weathered the low temperatures to claim a spot on Palm Canyon Dr. to view the parade.

Every year, the staff of Scott Lyle Realtors always gets into the holiday spirit in anticipation of the parade.  Our office, a small Spanish hacienda, is located at 483 N. Palm Canyon Dr., right in the heart of Downtown Palm Springs.   Earlier this week, we decorated our front yard with hundreds of lights. 

This year, there were 89 entries in the parade.  Every entry, whether its a float or a marching band, has to be illuminated in Christmas lights.  The lights usually must be white. This year, multi-colored lights made their debut.

 There were many creative entries in the parade this year.  Xavier Prep School's "Grease" entry was a hit.  You had the T-Birds, Pink Ladies, Beauty School Dropouts and the Carnival, all on one float.   The camel riders were also popular with the kids.  The camels were rescued from a compound that was threatened by the recent California wildfires.   The crowd favorite again this year was the Tonka Toy: A giant tractor covered with thousands of white lights.   Every kid's dream!!

 My friends & clients, Sarah and Marsha, were down from San Francisco for the weekend and had never seen anything like this parade. They both were getting into the spirit of the season.  The smiles on their faces said it all.    

The parade concluded when the last entry came into view:  Santa's House.  The float was adorned with 2 giant nutcrackers and & a brightly lit house.  I was a sight to see.  I didn't know who was more excited: the kids, me, or Sarah & Marsha.  This was a great parade, and I sad to see it end.  It brought back lots of good memories of my childhood.

The holidays are about spending time with your family, friends, and the ones you love.  Don't get caught up in all the commercialism of the season, because that's not what is important.  This parade for me epitomizes all that is good in the world.  Happy Holidays to one and all!!

Same article posted on Blog of the Desert

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