Editor, Gazette-Journal:

The Mathews Christmas Parade Committee extends a heartfelt "thank you" for the community support that made last Saturday’s Christmas Parade a fun-filled and exciting event. The registrations increased, the entries were diverse and festively decorated, and the weather cooperated.

The parade is more than a lineup and walk down Main Street. It requires team building, a giving spirit, and the vision to turn something ordinary into a "gee-whiz" creation as was done by the members of Girl Scout Troop 1135, who created a replica of the New Point Lighthouse from an inverted stack of tall bushel baskets; the family with mobile, oversized Christmas packages, and many others too numerous to mention, but equally creative.

It took a great deal of participant support to make this happen, and all who did so deserve kudos. The fruits of their efforts showed that Mathews has truly a unique way of life. If you missed the parade, or want a recap, go to the Visitor Center on Main Street, where you will find a digital frame with scrolling pictures.

The Mathews Christmas Parade is historically the second Saturday of December, so mark your calendars for Dec. 14, 2013. Start making your plans, and encourage your church, families, friends, businesses and community groups to join in the festivities.

Jo Ann Mulvany

Mathews Christmas Parade Committee