Ho ho ho

The Christmas parade was held in Columbus and Phenix City yesterday. My teenage niece, was in the parade with other area pageant winners from Georgia and Alabama. So, in addition to taking the grandchildren to see the Christmas parade, I got to see my niece riding in the parade. Parades aren't like they used to be. For instance, in my home town ... a small town in southeast Georgia ... we'd have the Christmas parade, and it would have a few cars, a few floats, the JROTC, the high school marching band, and Santa on a fire truck. The parade yesterday in Columbus and Phenix City was a larger version of the same thing. Lots of cars with area mayors, other cars with folks from businesses or other politicians, floats from churches and other organizations, marching bands, fire trucks, and such. It was the high schools, though, that caught my eye this time. The Carver High School band came by. And they had ... oh, I don't know ... cheerleaders, dancers, or something. Bunch of high school girls wearing shorts. They stopped, the drum major (or whatever role the young man held), did his little whistle thing, the Carver marchers got into position, and the dancers started ... well ... I'm not sure how to describe it. A bunch of trusting pelvises was involved. Use your imagination. You'd be on target, I suspect. Right there in front of my 9-year-old grandchildren, a bunch of 16-year-olds acting like ... well, "ho, ho, ho" comes to mind. I calmly stepped forward between the two granddaughters, bent down, and told them, "If I ever catch you acting like that, I'll beat your ass." I meant it. And they know it.