Retailers would have us believe that the Christmas season should start as early as Halloween, but for many Mechanicsville locals, Christmas hasn’t fully arrived until it’s time for the annual Christmas parade. Begun by John Clodfelter in 1985, the parade has since been taken over by the Rotary and Ruritan clubs and has become a Mechanicsville tradition.

Beginning at 3 p.m. last Sunday, this year’s parade had an impressive turnout, both in units participating in the parade and in spectators, with people coming out as early as 1:30 to stake claim to their spots along the parade route. Despite the chill, there was an air of cheerful preparation in the hour leading up to the event, snippets of carols floating through the air as high school marching bands ran through last-minute rehearsals and the occasional elf zoomed past on roller blades. One little girl, bundled tight against the cold, shot out of her seat when the cotton candy cart passed, dragging her mother with her.

“Mom, there’s cotton candy! Oh, can we get some cotton candy?”

Once the parade began, all attention was on the participants. Every float was met with an accompanying cheer, which only grew louder when drivers revved their engines in response. The effort and creativity that had gone into the floats were apparent and made them a treat to watch. From Santa and Mrs. Claus perched atop a fire engine to the towering chimney with a scowling Grinch that preceded them, the floats were fun and imaginative. One float highlighted a young gymnast performing a bar routine, while another featured a Christmas tree being circled by small cars — in which were perched slightly bewildered looking toddlers. The children were out in full force, and as much as anything, they made the parade.

Not surprisingly, one of the biggest crowd pleasers was the Mechanicsville Animal Control, all the dogs decked out in festive bows and collars. Highland Springs, Lee-Davis, Atlee and Henrico high schools were all represented by their respective marching bands and delivered an excellent selection of carols, from “Adeste Fideles” to “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.” The clowns representing the Clowns of America Intl. lent the event a great element of comedy, and demonstrations of skill by dance and karate students elicited much applause.

Begun with the area’s first snow, it could not have been a more appropriate day for a Christmas parade, and there was an infectious cheer about the crowd. “Merry Christmas!” was the standard greeting between friends and strangers alike — though it was often followed quickly by, “it’s freezing!” It was a lovely ushering in of the Christmas season, made especially pleasant by the neighborliness of the Mechanicsville community.