Santa made his yearly visit to London on Saturday November 13. It was the 54th annual Santa Claus Parade, and after all these years, Santa still brings people together over a cup of hot chocolate to set the town into the Christmas spirit.

The route began at 6 p.m. at the corner of Egerton and Dundas Streets, then travelled west on Dundas and finished on Ridout Street. The major sponsors for the event this included General Motors dealerships such as Ray Cullen, Brian Finch and MacMaster, among many others. Harold Merton, senior advisor of the parade, said the parade is "always looking for companies to be sponsors; our hardest job is getting anybody to donate to the parade because they just don't see the value. People don't realize that we have to pay for the bands and entertainment."

Last year, over 128,000 people showed up to watch the parade. This year saw an even bigger turnout, reaching over an estimated 150,000 due to Santa's earlier arrival date. The parade organizing committee felt that having the parade at the end of November last year caused many problems, such as the frigid weather's effect on spectator turnout and the bands' troubles with instruments.

This year, the committee and the City of London decided to hold the parade on November 13. To be more enjoyable — and less chilly — for spectators and participants.

"I have never seen the crowds as big as this year," said Merton. "When you look at the crowds of people that came out, everywhere we went they were shoulder-toshoulder, six to 10 people deep, (in) other years, there have only been two rows."

In fact, the committee received many complaints saying the parade should be lengthened to compensate for the amount of watchers. The parade participants, however, said the parade's two-mile length is tiring enough.

Merton said the main thing the committee is happy about is that no one got hurt. "We always make sure to put safety first so we don't allow people to throw candy (from) the floats."

What made the parade so special this year was where the idea for the theme came from. Many of the organizers of the event asked their children what the theme should be, and the kids decided on a "Teddy Bear Christmas." All spectators were asked to bring new, unused teddy bears to donate to the Salvation Army to be given to less fortunate children as a holiday gift. The goal for the parade was to collect 10,000 teddy bears, however, only 2,700 were collected. The organizers were disappointed with the number but the Salvation Army said that was a great accomplishment, considering it was the first time running such an event.

The "Teddy Bear Toss" wasn't the only fundraiser. The parade asked viewers to partake in the "Toonie Toss" to help cover the expense of the parade. The parade becomes more expensive to produce every year, and with a little change from the spectators, the organizers can make sure Santa can come to London every year.

Other fundraisers included the London Food Bank, who reported they collected 12,742 lbs of nonperishable food items during the parade — the largest amount the LFB has ever collected at the Santa Claus Parade. FM96's "Toys for Tweens" was the final fundraiser. With the spirit of giving filling the atmosphere, Canada Post attended the parade collecting Christmas wish list letters for jolly old Saint Nick as they walked the route.

As Jack Frost nipped at the noses of spectators waiting for Santa, ears were treated to the sound of Caribbean warmth. There were 10 bands participating in the parade, one of which was a steel drum band: the Golden Harps Steel Orchestra. This brought momentary warmth as they passed by spectators offering a different take on a Canadian Christmas.

If you were unable to catch the parade on November 13, you can catch it again on December 1 on the London Santa Claus Parade website. To purchase a DVD, contact co-chairman Kevin Armstrong Douglas, the cost is only $10.

To find out more about the parade, see pictures and videos, or learn how to donate and volunteer, visit londonsantaclausparade.ca.