LYNN — The city’s traditional Christmas Eve Parade is back this year — a sure sign that life is slowly returning to some sense of normalcy after a global pandemic that has stretched for nearly two years.
“After the two years that we had, we deserve it,” said Ward 7 Councilor Jay Walsh, one of the organizers of the parade.
As always, the parade will take place on Christmas Eve, Dec. 24, beginning at 5 p.m. on Summer Street. Walsh said it will be a “real parade” to “bring happiness back.”
Currently, the organizers are signing up participants and working on floats. Anyone is encouraged to join the parade with their decorated car or a float. The organizers still have some costumes left for those who would like to dress up as a character for the event.
Walsh said that his team of organizers will be also helping the parades in Nahant and Swampscott. After Lynn’s parade was canceled in 2020 due to COVID-19, Walsh is adamant that nothing is going to stop them this year.
“We’ve done it in heavy torrential rains and in freezing weather,” Walsh said.
He noted that Christmas can be hard for some people, whether they lost someone that year or for other reasons, but people can come to the parade and spend time among the community and reminisce about good holiday memories.
Walsh has participated in Lynn Christmas Eve parades since the tradition started in 1986. He was 5 years old when his family’s friend, Rich Viger, took him to see Santa riding a police cruiser and a parade of fire trucks in Saugus.
The next year, Viger convinced Walsh’s father, who owned John’s Oil, to help him put together something similar for Lynn families. They borrowed an old sleigh, put it on top of the old oil truck, added six plastic reindeer from Rich’s Department Store and went for a ride around the city.
“We enjoy doing it instead of a Christmas party,” said Walsh about his family. “We were lost without it last year.”
Walsh is excited for this year’s parade and invites everyone to check out the parade’s page on Facebook called “Official Lynn MA Christmas Parade.”
