Every inch of the massive tree in the heart of Coronado came ablaze with color for the 48th annual Holiday Parade and Tree Lighting on Dec. 1.
Illuminating a tree that large is not a task for the faint of heart, which is why the Coronado Chamber of Commerce made sure to top the number of lights from years prior.
This happened with a strand that stretched a full 2.1 miles, or rather, the entire length of the Coronado Bridge.
A “wholesome” parade
But, before tree watchers were wowed with this display, Orange Avenue briefly turned into the North Pole while Christmas floats paraded down the street.
Trucks, golf carts, classic cars, Volkswagen vans and bikes were outfitted in their best Christmas gear. Marching bands, cheer teams, sports teams and the Marines (to name a few groups) waved their way through the parade route.
Even Santa Claus and the grinch made an appearance.
Diane Davis Brown, who has lived in Coronado for the past 20 years and hasn’t missed a single Holiday Parade over that time span, said she loves the community participation.
The people and the freedom to walk the streets are just a couple of the elements that she loves about the night. Well, those two things and the parade’s overall element of “wholesomeness”—a word that was a quick chime in from her husband, Robert Brown, whose eyes smiled through large, Christmas sunglasses.
Christmas caroling
Parade watchers waited for Santa to come light the tree after the parade was over, and Coronado residents Kathie and Mike Woiwode led everyone in Christmas carols—a scene much like the one in “Elf,” where Jovie sings “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” to a packed crowd in front of Central Park.
Kathie said she has been singing with her husband Mike forever. They actually met in a singing group in college and have lived on the island since 1977.
Mike, a past president of the Chamber of Commerce, was involved in organizing this year’s parade since he is currently on the board.
“It’s a thrill to see it develop as it has,” Mike said about the parade. “The Chamber took the lead in getting this set of lights. Before last year, this tree was, I would say, sparsely lit by comparison. There are easily ten times as many lights on it now as there were before.”
The tree was a sight to behold for everyone around, and the crowd let out a collective cheer when it came to life.
The Coronado Concert Band serenaded the empty street walkers with Christmas music long after the tree lighting, and as people moved to their respective homes, kids tossed the football on a closed off Orange Avenue.
