ARLINGTON, Texas — Downtown Arlington flooded with festivities and holiday cheer as the annual Holiday Lights Parade took over the town Saturday, Dec. 9.
The weather could not have been better. The sky was clear, and the warmth of the sun leveled that cold winter wind commonly associated with the holidays.
It took about 400 volunteers to produce this “magical experience for the community,” said parade coordinator Elle Stubbs. She’s volunteered for the Holiday Lights Parade since its birth in 2001. Still a volunteer, Stubbs was appointed coordinator in 2014 and since then has led the hectic process of putting this event together.
Coordinating the jolly spectacle is not an easy task by any means. Stubbs said the parade consists of a lot of details and moving parts, and it’s challenging trying to predict how things will run. Sometimes they try new things, but they don’t always turn out well, she said.
Though she leads the coordination of the event, Stubbs emphasized the integral role of the hundreds of volunteers needed for this parade.
She recounted how one year she was stuck in another country, and as a result, was unable to organize the parade in person. This meant the volunteers had to help pick things up, and despite Stubbs not being there, the parade still happened.
Volunteers come from all over Arlington. Stubbs said this year they had volunteers from University of Texas at Arlington fraternities as well as some police cadets.
“We have an amazing community that comes together,” Stubbs said.
It could not be a holiday parade without Santa Claus making an appearance.
Arlington resident Mike Becknal helped play Santa who, stationed at the entrance of the Downtown Arlington Library, cheerfully greeted families and took pictures with children.
Four years into the role as Santa, Becknal said it’s tons of fun getting to play him. He said it’s incredible being able to bring happiness to people as Santa.
He said the secret to playing Santa is to have fun.
“You got to make it fun for everyone around you, and you have to hope you’re infectious,” he said.
Growing up fairly poor, Becknal said his mother encouraged him and his siblings to volunteer and do what they could.
Becknal said his mother would tell them, “Maybe we don’t have the money, maybe we can’t put money towards something, but volunteer and work your best.”
Because of his mother’s influence, though they were poor, Becknal said they never felt like they were.
Since then, that’s always been his goal, Becknal said. He keeps busy by being involved in number of different organizations.
He’s a member of The Arlington Northwest Rotary Club, where he runs the flag program. He’s a leader in the Boy Scout Troop 380 at Trinity United Methodist Church, and he’s also treasurer of the Friends and Foundation of the Arlington Public Library. He does all this while working full time at a hospital and part time for the Texas Rangers.
“If there’s something good going on in Arlington, I try to get involved in it,” Becknal said.
He said volunteering and helping out is like therapy.
“There’s nothing better than when someone walks up with a brand-new baby, and you’re holding that little baby in your hands,” Becknal said. “He doesn’t have any clue where he’s at or who’s holding him, and you look up and you see the smile on the parents’ face. That’s incredible.”
“For our family, it is such a gift. It’s time together to be in the moment,” said Nicky Austin, Arlington resident and volunteer, about the parade.
Another volunteer, Jennifer Cummings, said, “The Holiday Lights Parade offers opportunities for holiday traditions at no cost, providing equity of experience and a safe space for families across the area.”
