Houston kicks off the holiday season

Emilio Martinez pushed back from his plate, having polished off a traditional Thanksgiving Day feast on the mall in front of Houston’s City Hall.

“I like it,” said Martinez, 48, a native Houstonian who works as a house painter. “I come down mostly every year. I watch the parade, and then I come over here to eat.”

Houston’s downtown district continues to be the focal point for the city’s Thanksgiving Day early celebrations, and this year thousands lined the streets to watch a traditional parade reflecting both the uniquely American holiday as well the city’s remarkable diversity.

In the evening, thousands watched as Santa ceremoniously flipped the switch that illuminated dozens of Christmas trees at the Uptown Holiday Lighting.

The city’s 62nd annual parade featured the usual firetrucks, beauty queens, marching bands, waving politicians and dozens of classic cars. But also in the parade were Pilgrims and American Indians in costume, by Mexican Charras on horseback, a large Chinese contingent of Falun Gong adherents and African-American jazz dancers.

“I liked the cheerleaders, and the big balloons,” said Jeana McMahon, 4, who watched the parade with her family. “I liked Santa Claus,” said sister Julia, 5.

And many parade-goers had only to walk a few blocks to enjoy a traditional holiday meal, offered for free with all the trimmings at two locations.

Thousands served

Outside city hall, at the 27th annual Superfeast, about 1,600 Waste Management volunteers served a hearty spread on dozens of folding tables along the reflecting pool. In all, an estimated 7,500 people lined up and received steaming platters of food at a serving station near the door of city hall. Across the street, children were working at craft tables, bouncing in an inflatable castle, or receiving blankets, clothes and shoes.

“Our focus is on the environment … but we firmly believe we should be a community partner,” said Theresa Sauls, community relations manager for Waste Management. “And this is one event where we can really reach people.”

The Superfeast, sponsored by the Houston-based waste and recycling conglomerate for 17 years, served 4,000 pounds of turkey, 1,000 pounds of dressing, along with gravy, whole cranberries, green beans and corn. Wal-Mart and CSM donated 10,000 servings of pies and cakes, and squads of volunteers delivered them to diners after they finished the main meal.

“I love this place. There’s the parade, then the food,” said Lori Johnson, 56, of Houston. “I get to see all the people. Like my grandson would say, ‘It’s the bomb.’ ”

Organizers have noticed more families are attending.

“It’s a mixture. You have that vulnerable homeless population in downtown,” Sauls said. “But if you look in the lines, you have families who have said, ‘Let’s come down and enjoy a Thanksgiving meal together.’ It’s become a place of just connecting with people.”

‘It’s fantastic’

After eating, Rosa Ramirez took her daughter, niece and nephew to the craft table.

“This is great for all the people, and there are so many different kinds of people here,” said Ramirez, of Houston. “It’s fantastic. We are all together — like a big family.”

Among the volunteers was Montoya Stredic, 20, who came home from college in Austin to help, joined by her mother and brother. “It’s a very good experience, especially for teens who can be around people who don’t have the same opportunities they have,” she said.

At the George R. Brown Convention center, the nonprofit City Wide Club of Houston served Thanksgiving Day meals to an estimated 25,000 people. Besides a hot turkey dinner with all the trimmings, those who attended got a bag of groceries, along with medical screening and flu shots. Cricket wireless was offering free five-minute calls to anybody, anywhere in the world.

“There’s more need in the community,” said Stephanie Lewis, project coordinator for the City Wide Club meal. “The face of the people we serve are not necessarily the homeless, but those who might be employed with a place to stay but don’t make enough to make ends meet. We’re seeing a lot more families.”
Light it up

Over at the 26th Annual Uptown Lighting ceremony, crowds streamed in during the evening, eating kettle corn and sporting reindeer antlers.
In the middle of the street, 14-year-old Hannah Tidwell and her 10-year-old sister Mikayla were spin dancing.