A Christmas Parade came marching through Islip on Saturday. Just a town east of Bay Shore, this neighboring hamlet feels like an old friend. Cub scouts, boy scouts, girl scouts, baton twirlers, and a marching band made their way down Main Street as firemen through candy canes into the crowd. Bag pipes bellowed through the streets lined with shops decorated for the holidays, and families, young and old, gathered along the sidewalks. Jeeps and historic cars were lit up with Christmas lights, and Santa Claus came to town on a fire truck.
There's something about a parade. It beckons us to celebrate together and revel in the joy of the season it celebrates. The first parade was on March 17, 1762, fourteen years before the signing of the United State Declaration of Independence. The first New York City St. Patrick's Day Parade was comprised of a band of homesick, Irish ex-patriots and Irish military members serving with the British Army stationed in the colonies of New York.
We continue to mark events with a parade. The town of Islip Christmas Parade marked the official beginning of the season and the anticipation of gathering once again with family and friends. Merry Christmas!