This past Saturday, with husband away in LA, we still managed to make it down to see the Etobicoke/Lakeshore Christmas parade. I've become a bit more reluctant to take the littles out anywhere big by myself, so I was really so grateful that my very good friend Mandy was able to join us. She is not one to shy away from checking out Toronto, her new home, and all the craziness that comes with hanging out with the kids--crusty noses, drooly faces, lost mittens, diaper explosions and sidewalk meltdowns. My children endeared themselves to Mandy by Gabriel pretending to eat her nose with his dog mitten and Maggie crying in her arms. She has seen it all and keeps coming back for more! So it was sort of a mama/friend and kiddlet Christmas date.
It's been years since I have been to a Santa Claus Parade. The ones I remember from my childhood were very, very cold, packed so full of people you'd be lucky to get a candy cane or see the floats over people's heads. But I guess there are now so many parades in this area that the crowds aren't as oppressive as they used to be. We easily found a spot and parked ourselves right in front of a coffee shop on Lakeshore, bought some hot chocolate, put out a blanket and watched the excitement go by. There were all sorts of characters from movies and books (some of which had nothing to do with Christmas), and some that did.
The marching bands were definitely Maggie's favorites and she bopped up and down as they paraded through. But I think the highlight for Gabriel was likely the Christmas dogs.
We made sure to dress ourselves and the littles pretty warm even if it wasn't too cold. Let me tell you that I am LOVING these boots. Any day I have been outside all winter, I never feel that cold and I'm pretty sure a decent pair of winter boots is what makes the difference! Ps. Gabriel's little green Bogs were also a good buy for winter (although too short for rainboots), but waterproof and warm on the coldest days.
It was a very fun parade but I only have two questions? Where was Frozen??? I mean, come on! And also, if Etobicoke/Lakeshore parade is #4 in Ontario, I want to know what number #1-3 are! Anyone else in the GTA been to an amazing parade worth checking out next year?
I feel like it's nice to go to these events and feel like part of the community, even if Lakeshore isn't really where we live. Toronto can be big but you'd be surprised at how "small" it can actually be sometimes and just how many friends you can accidentally run into.
And thank you Mandy for taking some great memorable pictures for us. You've got the eye!
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