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 C...