Comment: It was a gray day; the first in a long, long time. We had a fair amount of rain overnight and into the daytime hours. Between the drops, we went ashore several times. We spent time in the cruiser’s lounge and walked around the marina.
We also did a lot of reading today. I completed C.S. Forrester’s “Admiral Hornblower in the West Indies,” and Anna Marie put a good dent in Homer Hickam’s “A Coalwood Story.” On our next visit to a bookstore, we’ll try to find Hickam’s “Sky of Stone,” the final volume in his trilogy about growing up in Coalwood, West Virginia.
The Holiday Season in Florida
As previously mentioned, the Florida Christmas season begins before Halloween. Christmas decorations and carols could be seen and heard in stores in October! Since Thanksgiving, Christmas activities have been in full swing. Blue Spruce tree sales are booming. We can’t imagine how those trees will survive until Christmas in this hot weather. It seems that every other house has a plastic snowman and “Think Snow” signs (as if there’s a chance) can be seen in the stores, on the busses and just about any glass surface. It short, it’s like Christmas at home, except, it is hot (at least comparatively so)!
The warm temps feel like summer. In fact, every time we take a beach walk, we observe people swimming in the ocean. Shorts, bathing suits and tee shirts are the uniforms of the day. If it weren’t for the decorations, we’d have no idea that Christmas was around the corner. To us Northeasterners, it just doesn’t feel like Christmas.
Santa arrived via the parade at Vero’s beachside in full North pole garb. He sported a red velvet suit and cap with the traditional white fur trim. He sat in his chair and listened to the hopes, wishes and desires of children dressed in shorts and tee shirts. At the time, the temperature was in the high seventies. I thought he might have sported a more “tropical” Santa suit, but, other than the temperature, it is like Christmas at home.
The parade was spectacular! Hundreds (if not thousands) of people lined both sides of the two mile parade route. The parade was led by the Vero Beach High School Marching band. The highlight of the parade for us was the troupe of majorettes. The girls were all of three and four years old and marched in two lines in their green uniforms. At the direction of their leader, they marched down the street doing a routine that included various baton positions. There was even some twirling. Cute kids all!
We reflected back on our experiences at Ship Bottom Christmas Parades past. There were crowds, but the cold went right to the bone. Invariably, we’d have to leave before the end of the parade because the kids got too cold to continue watching. After the Vero Beach parade, people just strolled down the street. Some ducked into the stores that remained open until at least 2100 hours, to by a few holiday gifts.
We watched a few of the floats and broke off from the parade to enjoy a pizza at Nino’s. This pizza parlor is just a few steps from the beach and right across the street from Humiston Park, site of the Christmas concert that we would attend after dinner.
The concert was performed by the Vero Beach Charter High School Level VI Jazz Ensemble. We enjoyed a few songs before hoofing it back to the marina.
Both Anna Marie and I agree that it’s hard to have the “Christmas Spirit” in the warm weather. Of course, we’re longing to be with family and friends back home. I suspect it won’t feel like Christmas until we are home. As the song says, “There’s no place like home for the holidays!”
NOTE: Yesterday, we made arrangements to leave the boat at Nettles Island Marina in Jensen Beach, FL for the holidays. We’ll fly home via Spirit Airline, from Fort Lauderdale International Airport to Atlantic City International on December 12. We’ll return to the boat on January 2, 2008!
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