This past Friday Clermont-Ferrand had a Christmas kickoff night which included the lighting of the Christmas tree and decorations throughout the main square in town, the start of the Christmas market and a parade.
We walked through the square and saw the ferris wheel and lighted decorations, but the tree would not be lit until after the parade. After waiting almost 40 minutes near the cathedral where the parade was to start, we finally heard a band coming down the street. The parade had finally begun! It was a fairly short parade and started with Santa in a car, a band with a woman on stilts and an illuminated outfit that was supposed to be the princess from Frozen followed by several Disney characters including Mickey, Minnie, Donald Duck and the chipmunks. I’ve never experienced a parade like this because the street was not blocked off and people watching were standing in the middle of the street and right up against the parade.
It was really cold but Makenna loved it. She was amazed by the Christmas lights and loved listening to the band. It was getting late so we didn’t stay for the Christmas tree lighting, but it was a great start to the Christmas season and got us into the Christmas spirit! There is nothing like the festive feeling you get from being in a place like this for the holidays!
I have a meeting with the photography club here where we will be taking photos of the Christmas lights so stay tuned for more/better photos 🙂
The Pawlowski's Go To France 