Getting Started

The first thing is to get yourself into the Christmas Spirit!

Then you can start working on an idea that ties in with the theme. While many entries decorate using a general Christmas theme, the Parade is a lot more fun when people see your creativity roll past.

Usually, the first step for construction is to find a flatbed trailer and something that will pull it. Then you can start shopping for all the decorations and skirting you'll need.

Don't forget to fill out your entry form and get it delivered early. When it's Thanksgiving... it'll be too late to enter.

There are some great websites available to use for ideas and resources. WikiHow has a list of the steps you'll take to build a successful float. Obviously, developing a theme is already handled for you. But WikiHow thinks of a lot of pitfalls you might overlook if this is your first (or second) time to enter.

Take a moment to check out these Google Images of Christmas Floats.

If you want to buy professional materials, then Valley Decorating is a vendor with a lot of helpful material calculators and blueprints. The Parade Committe doesn't recommend any particular vendor, but Valley seems to have put a lot of work into answering your questions. You'll always find the necessary lumber; and fabric at local stores.

Ehow.com has a different take on the float building process as does Thrifty Fun (scroll to the bottom of their page for answers).

In the years gone by, many groups build the shell for the float and then put the finishing touches on in the line-up area after they're parked. This keeps the float from breaking when you tow it to the parade area. But, whatever you decide to do, make sure you allow enough time for things to go wrong, for a forgotten tool, and enough time for a hot cocoa break. After all, this is a Christmas Parade and Santa will be watching.