Caitlin Vinci: Perth Christmas Pageant is a tradition that will always warm our hearts

A nostalgic thrill washed over me as I gazed from the top of the float at a sea of ​​young girls and boys leaning on the barricades, eagerly reaching up to their toes, desperate to capture every sparkling moment of Christmas magic.

Their eyes are wide, their mouths slightly open in awe, and their hands are wildly waving passing floats.

I was one of them.

I remembered that bubbling excitement; The impatient anticipation that Santa Claus will first appear somewhere in the parade and then drop a pile of very special gifts under my tree in just a few weeks.

I was no longer in the crowd; I was on the Western Australian float, dressed as a fairy, one of those magical characters I had once watched with awe and wonder.

The magic of Christmas joy was everywhere.

It sparkled in the parents who balanced their young children on their shoulders, trying to let them see the lights, the floats, the dancers and the sheer spectacle.

They were grandparents who saw generations of their family gathered together, their faces beaming with happiness. They were so excited to be waved at and able to participate from the sidelines.

And in a sign of the times, most kids wanted the “6-7”, the social trend of palms raised in the air, rather than a traditional wave.

And of course the kids had it too; Big-eyed little people who look like they could stay awake until December 25th, running on excitement and adrenaline from the parade.

As I waved and smiled, catching the gaze of the children whose faces lit up like Christmas trees, I realized the true magic of that moment: It wasn’t in the lights or Santa.

They were small gasps of surprise that echoed the same emotion I once experienced.