Folks here don't seem to be so much with the marketing value of the Santa Claus Parade. Instead, in this year’s St. John’s Downtown Christmas Parade, there were lots of dogs in reindeer antlers (Beagle Paws, Greyhound Rescue, Daschunds and SPCA), cheerleaders from every school in the city and a bunch of service groups.
Not one commercial float.
I miss the Toronto Parade -- so wonderfully shiny and big business.
This year, they had the Coca-Cola’s Penguins and Polar Bears, Sears’ Hockey Night on a Frosty Pond, Scholastic’s Clifford in the Dog House and Mattel’s Barbie as the Island Princess. Even the descriptions on the Global broadcast are totally agency scripted. And why not? Those bloody floats cost an elf's annual salary to build.
Plus, around over 150 clowns were actually corporate types who pay up to $1000 for the privilege of putting on a clown suit! The Celebrity Clown programme has been running since 1983 and is a brilliant way of drumming up support for the parade.
I don’t know if the downtown businesses don’t see the value in the Parade or if they are simply just not in the Christmas spirit. Whatever the case, I suppose it doesn’t really matter. Ben & FG were just as taken with the guy in the ratty Winnie the Pooh costume from Walmart as he would have been with the giant floats rolling down Bloor St.
Pics: Ben dropping letter to Pere Noel to Canada Post Mail Carrier (btw, did I mention I love this program?; FG on Mama's shoulders; Santa on Duckworth)
Maybe Christmas doesn’t come in a box. Maybe it doesn’t come from a store. Perhaps Christmas means a little bit more – Dr. Seuss, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”
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