Annual gift guide: Bells-eye view

The first spectacle I hit was the Lansing City Market to see the reindeer. Rudolph was not in attendance, but those who did show up seemed to lack the holiday spirit. They just moped around, so I didn’t stay there too long.

I ventured off to the Capitol where about a dozen tweens danced and sang to pop songs on the steps of the building. It was interesting enough to see what kids will do if you set them on a stage with music and microphones — they perform as if they are pop stars.

I got restless, so I decided to stop by the Silver Bells Village to see if vendors had anything worth purchasing. The mini sweet potato pies caught my eye and I had to have one. Turns out, they could be ruled the best sweet potato pie I have ever eaten (sorry Grandma).

The chilly night only got colder as people applied different methods to keep warm. Some kept hot cocoa on hand and some huddled together in tight packs.

“I keep warm by moving around a lot,” said Ruth Hancock of Grand Ledge. “I’m from Michigan, I know what it means to have to dress in layers.”

Hancock, 53, said that she has been coming to the Silver Bells for years, and every year she looks forward to seeing the lighting of the tree.

“It never gets old,” she said.

As the sky darkened and evening approached, people lined up along Washington Square for the Electric Light Parade. Luckily, I got a front row spot to see the floats, not knowing how coveted that position is. Other spectators crept their way up to the front or sent the little ones up to see the show up close.

Mickey Mouse started the parade, waving to the crowd as he rode in style atop a red roofless coupe. Following the Disney character were local businesses and high school marching bands.

As I watched the colorfully lighted floats ease down the street, my curiosity betrayed me — I felt like a kid again. I couldn’t help but hope the next float would be bigger or brighter than the preceding one.

My favorite would have to be to the Lansing School District’s, because the children were so thrilled to be part of the event. There was a boy on the drums who produced a beat that seemed to be infectious to his peers — they danced along, despite the stiffness of the cold.

I couldn’t help laughing as people shouted, “Lower our bill!” when the Board of Water and Light float rolled past. What a way to exercise free speech.

Lansing resident Tiffani Dedesma, 24, said she has been coming to the Silver Bells ever since she was a little girl. Now she brings her kids.

“So far they’re dealing with the cold pretty well,” Dedesma said. “Our favorite part of coming down here would be the parade because of all the lights.”

The evening’s festivities also included a fleet of strolling clowns, which wasn’t as creepy as it sounds. The red-nosed characters walked through the festivity passing treats to the children out of rainbow-colored bags.

After the parade, a community sing-along took place, led by Larry Callahan and Selected God Choir. I’m personally not into sing-alongs, so hearing people croon “Joy to the World” and “Silver Bells” wasn’t exactly the highlight of the night.

The lighting of the Christmas tree in front of the Capitol wasn’t as climactic as I had anticipated. I had in mind the excitement would resemble the feeling of watching the ball drop with Dick Clark, but it was more like when your stingy aunt makes your plate at Thanksgiving dinner — you knew it was coming, but you hoped for more.

However, I will say the fireworks served as a lively backdrop to the lit-up blue spruce. Fireworks have always captivated me. But as quickly as they came, they disappeared into the night air.

Marshall Teelander, 17, came to the Silver Bells for the second time. This year he brought his girlfriend to see the show. The couple came from Elsie to see the lighting of the tree and the fireworks.

“Although I looked forward to seeing the tree lit up, I enjoyed the monster truck float in the parade (the most),” Teelander said. “It was really cool.”

Large groups of people began to disperse, apparently not willing to battle the cold weather to hear New York-based boy band, AJR, perform at the Capitol.

I stayed through three songs of theirs, and I appreciated their different style, which is composed of pop with a twist. They reminded me of the Jonas Brothers.

Once I looked around to see who remained in the crowd, I was not surprised to see a bunch of teenage girls who knew every word.

I don’t know if it was the fact that I didn’t know a single word or the fact that my left glove had went missing somehow, but it was undeniably time for me to end my night.

I left knowing I will likely return next year, and also wishing I had bought more sweet potato pie.

Krista Wilson, a Southfield native, is a City Pulse intern.