Christmas Parade - 14 December 2011

Father and Mother Christmas arrived with their usual flair at the Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital on 14 December. The jolly couple arrived by magic thanks to the assistance of a unicorn from Fairyland.

Father Christmas said: "I didn't want to exhaust my reindeer, since they have quite a lot of work ahead of them so I asked my unicorn friend Daisy to help me this year."

"Yes," Mother Christmas said, "Daisy knows how we look forward to this special visit every year, so she agreed to help us pull the sleigh to the hospital. The journey was a bit slower because our reindeer are quite strong, you know. They have a special reindeer gym at the North Pole to keep fit while we wait for Christmas to come. Rudolph is especially good at bench pressing."

Father Christmas excitedly chipped in, "And a few of my elves joined us this year too, so it was quite a weight for Daisy to pull. But she did it quite magnificently.

"Last year my elves caused so much mischief in the factory that I decided to bring a few of the naughtier ones with me to keep an eye on them during this visit."

"Thank goodness they finished making all the toys in time," Mother Christmas said. "I would have been so disappointed if I couldn't make this special trip to the hospital. On Christmas morning, Father Christmas delivers all the toys alone; it's only on these special visits to the hospital that I get to tag along and help. I do so love giving all the children at the hospital their presents. It really makes my year."

The crowds wait patiently for Father and Mother Christmas to arrive.	Clowns got the party started before Father Christmas arrived.
Others hitched a ride with traffic officers who made sure that Father Christmas' vehicle had a clear route.	Eventually Father Christmas arrived.
He was accompanied by his wife, a clown and several elves.   Picture courtesy of John-Clive Dawson Squibb	He had gifts for everyone in his large bag. Picture courtesy of John-Clive Dawson Squibb
The elves took a quick rest while the gifts were being handed out.	The unicorn Daisy flew Father Christmas to the hospital using magic.
Minnie Mouse and a Princess visited as well and painted children's faces.	Minstrels played music and kept the party going.   Picture courtesy of John-Clive Dawson Squibb