Letter to the Editor: Merry Christmas, SoCal Style

Byline: Jerry Walker

Thanks for publishing the times, dates, locations and special themes of all the Southern California boat parades (in the Dec. 9-22 issue). I know you do this every year, because I always rely on The Log to provide this information — and I use it to plan all my family’s holiday boating activities.

My family and I enjoyed viewing three area boat parades this year. While most years we only participate in one major event, we decided we needed something extra this year to really bring the Christmas spirit to life for us.
And we found exactly the feel-good spirit and holiday joy we had hoped to find, waiting for us on the water.

There is absolutely nothing that says “Merry Christmas to All” in Southern California like a parade of festively lighted and decorated boats, with friends and fellow boaters aboard — waving and sending warm wishes your way as they pass.

Boaters are always a friendly bunch, but we’re probably at our best during the holiday boat parades. Gathering with our families and friends aboard the boat in the cool night air, watching the dancing lights on the water and hearing the sound of Christmas music echoing through the harbor is truly a special experience that is, frankly, impossible to adequately describe to someone who hasn’t shared it.

It’s always fun to watch a boat parade. But it’s even more fun to cruise in one. There is absolutely nothing like this Southern California Christmas boating tradition, and it is definitely one that those of us who live here are privileged to be able to enjoy, year after year.

Here’s wishing all of my boating friends the happiest of holidays — and a new year’s wish that we will always be able to celebrate this special time of year together.

Jerry Walker
Long Beach