Kid's Christmas Parade Float Ideas

Christmas is a time of friends, family and community. Many towns, big and small, choose to celebrate this joyous time of year with a winter carnival and parade. There are many themes that you can utilize to make your Christmas float the most interesting and memorable part of the festivities.

Santa Claus is Coming

Begin by covering the entire float with any material that looks like carpeting, or if you can find it inexpensively, carpeting. Build an oversize, old fashioned brass bed on one side of the float. On the other side, build a traditional looking Christmas scene that includes a tree, and a fake fireplace that can be crafted with some scrap wood and a few gallons of brown and red paint. Place two participants that are dressed in traditional looking pajamas in the "bed" and instruct them to act like they are dreaming of Santa's arrival. Place a third person on the float dressed in a Santa suit. Instruct him or her to place gifts underneath the Christmas tree. Santa can also reach into his bag of goodies and throw pieces of candy out into the crowd. Other people on the float can be dressed as elves who are assisting Santa on his Christmas run.

Christmas Around the World

Show the spectators of your float how Christmas is celebrated around the world. Research how different cultures and countries celebrate Christmas and place representations of this on your float. You can also incorporate other religious holidays that are celebrated around this time into your float, including Hanukkah and Kwanzaa. Dress up participants on the float as Santas from different countries and place people on the float to wave at the crowd and throw out treats to the children.

Tree Themes

Begin by purchasing several trees of different sizes. The trees can either be real or fake, depending on the budget. Ask each child to decorate each one of the trees in a different theme or style. For instance, a traditional spruce tree can be decorated with ribbons, silver tinsel, ball ornaments and a star on top. A modern, plastic colored tree can be adorned with bright lights, and more unusual, unique ornaments. Cover the floor of the trailer with turf and fake snow. Place several plastic or stuffed woodlands animals all over the float to make it appear as if the trees are still in the woods where they grew and have each child that designed a particular tree stand next to his or her creation.