December 24, every year, forever
The Westhaven Christmas Eve Parade
One evening. One route. Forty-one years of the same beloved order, marching down Elm to the square, where the forty-foot tree waits under guard. Bring a thermos. Wave when waved at.
A letter from the President
Friends, neighbors, and fellow keepers of the calendar,
For forty-one years this parade has come down Elm Street on the evening of the twenty-fourth, and for forty-one years I have had the honor of walking in front of it. My father ran this route. His father ran it before him. I am told the horse has been replaced twice and the route not once.
Cheer does not surrender. It did not surrender to the weather of '09, the scheduling unpleasantness of '14, or that other business up on the hill, which we do not discuss during the holidays and, frankly, prefer not to discuss at all. It will not surrender this year either. The schedule will be protected. We have retained people to protect it.
So put your lights up by the first. Wave when you are waved at. And if you cannot manage a smile, stand near someone who can. We will be counting either way, and it is a great deal easier to be counted among the glad.
Warmly (it is the only temperature we allow),
Gary Lewis
President, Westhaven Homeowners' Organization
The route
Where to stand
The parade forms at the Meridian model home at the head of the first development, proceeds east down Elm Street (west to east, the way the whole valley lights), turns at the marina lot, and finishes at the square beneath the town tree. Cocoa stations are posted at the church, the old firehouse, and the corner where the hill road begins and everyone politely turns back.
The Candlelight Walk of Unity follows the same route later that night: the same street, paper cups, a candle in each. Block captains will be present with clipboards. Please bring a windscreen; the candles have opinions about the wind, and so do the block captains.
The hill road is not part of the route and never has been. There is nothing up there to see. There is a lot on the hill and a foundation and, some winters, a green light.
The lineup
In order of appearance
| # | Entry | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WHO Color Guard | Carries the approved palette. Do not photograph the swatch book. |
| 2 | Gary Lewis, President | Waving. The good teeth. Please do not wave back too eagerly; it slows him down. |
| 3 | The Forty-Foot Town Tree | On a flatbed, under guard. Every color the catalog sold, strung by people handed a list. |
| 4 | Balogun & Sons Inflatable Santa | Fourteen feet. Deflated by ordinance the moment the clock strikes nine. |
| 5 | The Gingerbread Trio (Bakery Guild) | Two came out crisp. The one propped between them is beginning to list. |
| 6 | Grief Counseling Booth (mobile) | Scheduled so as not to run up against the caroling. |
| 7 | The Volunteer Watch | Eyes and ears. Smile for them. They are counting the dark windows. |
| 8 | Rench Heating & Repair | Declined to participate. Again. He says he keeps the whole valley warm and that is float enough. |
| 9 | The Candlelight Walk of Unity | Everyone, holding a cup. This is the part where the whole town looks the same. |
From the archive
The Westhaven Cheer
Our town poem, read aloud at the winter assembly every year. Twenty-eight lines. The word "cheer" ends five of them, and four hundred pairs of hands come together on the word, every time, whether or not anyone means it.
Recording restored soon.
Recorded live at last year's assembly. The clapping was never scored; it arrives on its own, on cue, and you could set a watch by it. Restoration is pending a volunteer with the time.
Stay in the loop
Sign up for the Westhaven Parade Newsletter
Route changes, cocoa station locations, and the official naughty-and-nice tallies, delivered before the season starts. One or two notes a month. We only write when there is something worth laminating.
In the interest of honesty, which the Organization does not always insist upon: this is T. Teller's mailing list wearing a parade sash. First chapter free. Unsubscribe anytime. No cocoa obligations.