11/24/2012 Tommy had told me about this parade that Target puts on from November 23 to December 23, every Thursday thru Sunday. It runs down one of the main streets in the city, Nicollet Mall. We were planning on buying tickets to sit in a heated tent, but we procrastinated and they sold out. Oh well, so we decided to brave the cold! I checked the schedule and saw that the Grinch would be the Grand Marshal on the 24th, so that seemed like a good one to attend. Around 5 o’clock we started layering! We each put on three layers and grabbed a few blankets. We wrapped our scarves around our necks, put on our beanies and gloves then made our way towards Nicollet.
We made a quick stop at Pizza Lucé to pick up dinner. We made it to Nicollet with our pizza in tow. We scoped out the sidewalk for the best place to sit and watch the parade. It was already starting to fill up and the planters were taken. We found a spot across the street from Tommy’s building conveniently located across the street from a Caribou (the equivalent to Starbucks). We could have sat in the skyway, but we thought it would be nice to get the full experience. So we chose front row seats instead. We ate our piping hot pizza, then decided maybe a hot beverage would help keep us warm. Tommy walked across the street and waited in line for our drinks (hot carmel apple cider and white chocolate mocha). Zoë and I set up camp, she wasn’t really interested in staying in her stroller so I put her in the sleepy wrap and had a seat while we waited.
When Tommy got back he thought it would be best if Zoë and I went inside while we waited for the parade to start.
As we were waiting inside and people watching I noticed that you could tell who was a hunter. There were several men in their flannels and bight neon orange beanies. You knew they were ready for the cold with their sleeping bags and blankets. At 6:25 I figured it was time to get to our spot and sit down.
I was grateful to have Zoë on my lap, between her fleece suit and the blanket we were generating some great body heat. But that didn’t protect us from the chill on our noses and cheeks. Poor Zoë’s cheeks were turning a nice shade of rosy red. The parade was running from 12th street to 4th street and we were closer to 4th meaning we were towards the end. So when the lights went out we still had to wait for the floats to reach us. The anticipation was building. Zoë was eager to see the dazzling lights, actually she was mesmerized by the little girls glow stick.
Once the floats did reach us she started jumping in my lap. She loved the lights and music! Her favorite was the drum line from the marching band. Zoë appreciates a good beat! Our favorite float was Pinocchio.
The Holidazzle parade was a great way to kick off the holiday season.
It is well with my Soul 