The city of Oxford hosted its annual Christmas parade Dec. 8. The parade featured floats from many different clubs such as Cub Scouts and school groups like the OHS band.

Many students such as senior Lily Mitchell enjoy participating in the parade. For her, the parade is a time for students to socialize with friends and get more into the Christmas spirit.

“In the past, my favorite part of the parade is standing on the square with all my friends,” Mitchell said. “We usually get hot chocolate and observe the different floats and decorations.”

This year, Mitchell rode in the parade as homecoming queen in the Jeep being raffled off by the OHS Booster Club.

“As homecoming queen, they wanted me to draw the winner of the raffle,” Mitchell said. “Lisa Ivy, a member of the OHS Booster Club, texted my mom and asked if I would want to ride in the Jeep and draw the winner. I happily accepted.”

Some students have been in the parade for multiple years, including freshman Karen Carothers. This will be her fifth year participating in the parade, but her first year walking with the OHS dance team.

“I’ve always wanted to be on the dance team, so I’m really happy to participate in the parade with them,” Carothers said.

To prepare for the parade, the dance team had to learn kick lines and other new dance moves.

“We had an hour practice to really learn the dances, and we were told to come to the parade 45 minutes early, so we could practice with the middle schoolers and getting spaced out,” Carothers said.

Students, such as sophomore Haeden Overby, attend the parade with their families. He believes it is the best way to get into the holiday spirit.

“My favorite memories are the times that I’ve gotten to see my friends, and the times that I’ve spent watching the parade with my family and my siblings,” Overby said. “I also enjoy seeing all the floats and nice lights on the square.”

The clubs, like the Boys and Girls club, and groups spent lots of time preparing for the parade and making floats.  Floats from this year’s parade included the house from “Up” and a Christmas Karaoke float. Carothers believes the best part about the parade is the elaborate designs of each float.

“My favorite float had people performing on it, and there was a lady singing. There was a whole band on their float,” Overby said. “I liked the lady’s voice while she was singing, and the band was doing really well. It was entertaining.”

Both Carothers and Mitchell stated that they enjoyed seeing the smiles on people’s faces as they walked past them.

“It’s fun to be a part of the parade that brings so much joy to our community,” Mitchell said.