It Wouldn't Be New Years If We Didn't Watch The Rose Parade

On the morning of January 1st of every year, I know exactly where I will be. I will be sitting down watching the Rose Parade on TV and loving every second of it. I grew up in the Los Angeles/Pasadena area so the Parade and all of it's elaborate preparations were just a fact of life. It wasn't until I was older that I realized this was an event that was watched and loved by millions of people all around the world. Every New Year's Eve when I was a teenager I would beg my parents to let me spend the night on Colorado Blvd. which is the main Parade route we all see on TV. Talk about a party! Every year they said no. I have only recently stopped carrying a grudge about this.

Have you ever gone to the Rose Parade? It truly is a once in a lifetime, very special experience. People come from all over the country to see the floats, the marching bands and all of those beautiful horses and their riders. The flowers on the floats are so stunningly beautiful they almost seem unreal. Amazingly, every flower, seed, or decoration used must be real or natural. There are not many people who can say they have decorated a float in the Rose Parade. But my daughter Sam did when she was in eighth grade with her Drill Team. It was quite an honor to do this and she came home dirty, covered in glue and seeds, but extremely happy. Each year she never fails to mention that she is the only one in the family who holds this honor. A couple of years later Laura was on the Drill Team, but the team wasn't involved with the decorating that year. From the Parade's humble beginning back in 1890 with decorated carriages and games to play, we have all come to love and appreciate the Tournament Of Roses Parade. Whether you are lucky enough to be in sunny Pasadena to see it in person or watching it on TV, our New Year's Day would not be the same without it. Happy New Year everybody!