Font ResizeMy fingers were going numb. My feet were cold. The kids were starving and whiny. And for this I had to thank the visiting relatives from California.
Standing on the curb in snow and freezing temperatures never seemed appealing, which is why my family had never ventured out to watch a Holidazzle Parade. My husband also objected to what he saw as the parade's commercialism. "Isn't it just a big business promotion?"
Then, my dad and stepmom came to visit, and, as soon as they heard about it, they wanted to go. To them, it summed up the exotic North, an adventure to recount to friends back home in Napa Valley over a glass of cabernet at the Friday bocce ball game.
So, we bundled up the three kids and headed out. The Holidazzle, known officially as Macy's Holidazzle Parades, runs Thursdays through Sundays from the day after Thanksgiving through Dec. 23 along eight blocks on Nicollet Avenue. It was started by the Minneapolis Downtown Council in 1992 in the hope of keeping holiday shoppers from streaming to the just-opened Mall of America.
We parked in the Hyatt Regency ramp on Nicollet at 13th Street because that's where the Californians were staying. We didn't realize it is also the parade staging area. We got a sneak preview of volunteers in costume and the Minnesota Chorale rehearsing carols in the lobby. Outside the front doors, the first darkened floats were rolling into position.
It was more than a half-hour before parade time, and the crowds were already
We wandered down the street, enjoying the scene. We passed Vincent, where two shivering chefs in toques flipped crepes at a sidewalk stand. We ducked into a crowded Macy's and rode the elevator to the eighth floor, where we were told we'd have to wait 45 minutes to see the animated display.
Hmm. We were starting to get hungry. Fifteen minutes to parade time! We staked out a section of curb. Now that we were standing still, the cold seeped in. The kids flipped up their parka hoods.
"When will it staaart," whined the 5-year-old. "My stomach huuurts."
We decided an emergency food run was in order, and I dashed into crowded Panera Bread to buy a peanut butter sandwich and two hot cocoas. We waited. The parade start time came and went. We waited.
This is when my fingers started to go numb.
Finally, the first float appeared. The grand marshal was followed by the circus train float, lit with thousands of tiny lights and filled with costumed monkeys, giraffes, elephants and tigers. Amid the dazzle, we forgot about the cold.
Next came the Mother Goose float with Humpty
"Hey, Dorothy!" called the crowd.
"Boo!" everyone shouted as the witch in a hideous mask chased Dorothy on her three-wheeled bike.
The Princess and the Pea float, sponsored by the mattress company Select Comfort, was followed by six footmen in tri-cornered hats and teal and magenta sequined costumes.
Next came the Nutcracker float, nothing remarkable, just a sparkling white platform with several characters. Behind it trailed a line of small children dressed in mice costumes and holding each other's tail, and a towering Nutcracker, built on a wheelchair chassis that allowed the hidden driver to spin in circles.
"Spin! Spin! Spin!" yelled the crowd. And the Nutcracker twirled.
We spotted the Three Little Piggies and the wolf, Captain Hook and Peter Pan, Hansel and Gretel and a gingerbread house with glowing lollipops and candy canes. The choir rolled by, but the harmonies that had filled the hotel lobby were lost in the air above Nicollet Avenue.
We were pretty cold by now. At least, we weren't playing in the marching band. I've heard you have to keep playing or your spit will freeze up the valves.
By this time, we had been standing for more than 45 minutes. The parade that first night had been stretched out to accommodate a television broadcast, so the floats were often a block or more apart.
Several families near us left early. We decided to abandon our spot, and we walked back toward the hotel, stepping up to the curb for a better look at the 8-foot-tall inflatable Christmas bulbs.
"I got a high five!" shrieked my 8-year-old son, as someone in a red bulb suit swung over to smack his hand.
Finally, the last float rolled into view - Santa Claus surrounded by people in red star costumes. Red stars? Oh yes, the Macy's logo.
I'm glad we went. Will we go again? Maybe.
At least, now I can say that we've gone to Holidazzle. To say you'd never been, well, that's kind of like living in San Francisco and saying you've never ridden a cable car.
Maja Beckstrom can be reached at mbeckstrom@pioneerpress.com or 651-228-5295.
WHERE TO EAT AFTER THE HOLIDAZZLE PARADE
We grabbed dinner after the parade at Taxxi: An American Bistro in the Hyatt Regency Minneapolis, where kids eat free on Holidazzle nights. Five other kid-friendly places near the parade route are Newsroom Cafe, D'Amico & Sons, Key's Cafe, Firelake and Cosi.
FAMILY OUTINGS: THE SCOOP
What: Macy's Holidazzle Parades
Where: Nicollet Mall, downtown Minneapolis (from 12th Street to Fourth Street)
Information: macysholidazzle.com
When: 6:30 p.m. through Dec. 23 (parade lasts a half-hour)
Cost: Free
Target audience: Lovers of cold, crowds and lights
Crowd pleasers: Spinning Nutcracker and Xcel Energy bulbs
Avoid: Parking hassles. Ride light rail. Park free at the Fort Snelling, 28th Avenue or Lake Street/Midtown stations and get off at Nicollet. A six-hour pass is $3.50 on weekdays, $3 on weekends.
Tip: The parade always needs a few extra volunteers of various ages every night to replace people who can't make it. If you show up at the Hyatt Regency at 5 p.m. and put your name on a waiting list, you have a decent chance of getting a costume and an assignment.
