On the lookout for hugging Santa

Welcome to December — the fun season. 

Inverness is all decked out with a big Christmas tree on the Old Courthouse lawn and another big tree in Liberty Park. Crystal River lights its tree Friday night.

Here’s some random thoughts to kick off 2023’s final month:

---

— Chamber of Commerce Christmas parades are the best. Crystal River night parade is Saturday, the Inverness parade is next Saturday afternoon, and boat parades will be lighting up Big Lake Henderson, Lake Hernando, Crystal River, and Homosassa River throughout the month. (Click here for more info.)

In December 1987 I visited Florida for my job interviews at the Chronicle and Tampa Tribune. The visit included spending time with my friend Jeff Thomas who was living in West Palm Beach.

I had never even heard of a Christmas boat parade. In Michigan, the subject never comes up, seeing how waterways are generally, you know, frozen.

We stood along the Intercoastal Waterway in T-shirt weather as decorated boats passed by. It was one of three significant memories that I carried back to Michigan knowing that I wanted to return for good.

The others: Interviewing with Chronicle Editor Gerry Mulligan and city editor Jim Hunter on a Friday. The Chronicle didn’t have a Saturday paper at the time and things were a little loose. They asked how I’d feel living in a rural Southern community.

“Are you kidding?” I replied. “I rarely even wear a tie!”

Mulligan hired me anyway.

Also, drinking beer at The Cove. The old Cove, not the newer one with indoor plumbing. Beer in Mason mugs, hot wings, pool tables with blue cue dots on the ceiling. And the tables shook when people walked by.

Being a bar guy, I fell for the Cove immediately. The job wasn’t that bad, either.

— Many things about the newspaper business I miss. Camaraderie of the newsroom, the collective excitement over a scoop, deep debates about ethics, and of course all those Sunday Page 1 stories that ruined someone’s day whose day deserved ruining.

Some things I don’t miss. Covering Christmas parades is high up there.

Community newspaper reporters, even the hot-shot senior reporters, cover community events like parades.

I’ve had the parade beat and there are worse things, but I can’t think of a single one right now. I mean…it’s a parade. There is only so much one can write about a parade. It lends itself to photos of cute kids and Santa, but parade prose is hard to come by.

People generally out having fun are not interested in being interviewed by dull reporters asking why they’re there.

I’ll attend parades this month in Citrus County. Look elsewhere for their reviews.

— Participating in a parade is very cool. I recommend it. Everyone should ride or walk a parade route at least once in his or her life.

I’ve ridden, and I’ve walked. My daughter’s Brownie troop walked the Crystal River parade one year and, I swear, I think that year they extended it 10 miles. 

The driver of each float or entry has a very significant job — don’t crash into the float in front of you. Crawling along at 5 mph, doing the parade wave to folks, it’s easy to lose track of what exactly you’re doing.

And, of course, there’s Santa. Who doesn’t want that gig?

While at Central Michigan University, I rented a Santa suit for a newspaper story. Santa walking the campus. Santa in journalism class. That kind of thing.

We had a big snowstorm on Friday, and I didn’t have to return the getup until Monday, giving me a whole weekend of parties and fun dressed as Santa. That was a jolly good time and I’m not ruling it out again…so you never know.

Our community is geared for the Christmas season. If you see Santa, give him a hug.

Join the discussion on our Facebook page.