Join the parade of cheerful giving
December is the month of our shortest days and our longest nights. Fortunately we have the holiday season to brighten this darkest period of the year. The grateful emotions of Thanksgiving, the joy and love of the Christmas message, and the natural optimism that comes with the new year lift our spirits when nature suggests we need it most. The holidays also bring colorful lights to brighten our streets during this darkest season.
Those same lights capture the smiles on the faces of children and adults who take to the streets in costumes and on creative floats in the annual Christmas parades. The parades put much of the best of our community on display and remind us of all that makes Delaware’s Cape Region a good place to live.
Most importantly, the law enforcement and first responder units, police officers, ROTC and Army Reserve units, emergency medical technicians and volunteer fire personnel and all of the equipment that they use give us a sense of security as we go about our daily lives. That sense allows us to cultivate our businesses and organizations, and care for and interact with our families and friends, without the constant stress that would come from life in a lawless society filled with unassisted emergencies.
Our parades show off that marvelous infrastructure and also allow us to celebrate milestones like the 100th anniversary of the founding of Beebe Hospital which has provided a huge level of comfort to our communities through its first century. Together they make up the strong glue that helps bind us as community.
In the midst of the church floats that remind us of the Christmas message and the children’s faces looking to the future, there is always the anticipation of the arrival of that ultimate wise and cheerful symbol of giving at Christmas: Santa Claus.
Giving is the connection in all of this. Many of the organizations participating in the Christmas parades depend on the donations of our time and money to keep them strong. Join the parade. The glow of giving is one of the brightest lights that helps us march cheerfully through these darkest days.
