Lights, kids, action

“I got a candy cane and a ribbon,” Kai Higg said happily, showing off his loot from the Island Farms Santa’s Light Parade yesterday evening.

Then the four-year-old waved good-bye to the big guy in the funny red suit who was heading down Government Street stuck in a chimney. Only five weeks until Christmas. Only five weeks until Santa returns with his toy jet plane, said Higg, his cheeks red from the cold, his eyes shining with expectation.

If the parade ended on the right note for the little boy, it began on a hopeful note for Rev. Tom Oshiro, pastor of the Mustard Seed Street Ministry.

Oshiro and a group of young volunteers led the parade, gathering bags of food from spectators lining Government Street and placing the groceries in a white cube van decorated with Christmas lights.

“This is one of the best parades I’ve ever seen,” said Oshiro. “I feel we have a crowd who’s really prepared to give and I see they’ve brought the groceries. And right now we need them. We really need them. Our Christmas drive is the key to the future.”

Experienced Victoria onlookers turned out with their lawn chairs, their blankets and their children bundled into strollers to see Victoria’s festive start to the Christmas season.

The night was cold and dry and the lights of the Parliament buildings provided the perfect backdrop to what might have been the biggest Santa Claus parade.

“What a night,” said parade chairman Ron Butlin. “There were 40,000 to 45,000 people out there. They were standing four and five deep along the parade route.”

Irish dancers held their arms stiffly at their sides as they hopped and jumped down the parade route. Row upon row of tap dancers, strutted their stuff, inviting smiles and applause from spectators.

“Oh sweet,” said a youngster, pointing to a remote controlled car racing between the float.

There were clowns and unicycles, vintage firetrucks and police cars and a pipe band droning Jingle Bells. And there were fistfuls of candy canes.

“They love it when the candy comes flying out of the truck,” said Dan Madison, a father of five who watched the parade with two-year-old Helena on his shoulders. “They get a little bit of road rash.”

Pat Doan, who moved from Moose Jaw last year, loved the parade and the relative warmth of Victoria.

“I like the lights and seeing the kids, their expressions. It’s what Christmas is all about.”