VIDALIA — Like a pretty red bow on top of a Christmas present, the Vidalia Christmas parade topped off a weekend parades in the Miss-Lou.

Over an hour before the parade’s scheduled start, onlookers began lining Carter Street, surveying the road in hopes of finding the best view of the tinseled covered floats that would creep by.

Kayleigh Mount, a 7-year-old parade veteran knew exactly what to expect from the parade.

“I was in a parade once with my friends from cheerleading, and I was in one with my mom and my sister,” Mount said.

She was looking forward to collecting candy and seeing Santa Claus.

“She said she wanted to shake Santa’s hand,” Gracie McNeely, 5, said of her friend.

McNeely had her own wishes for the Sunday afternoon parade.

“I thought it would be fun,” she said. “And I wanted to get some candy.”

Bright green and blue characters from the Natchez Church of God float played music and walked the streets handing out goodies to parade-goers.

Behind them, local royalty waved to their cheering subjects and antique cars with wreaths, bows and garland tossed candy.

There was even a float celebrating a tropical Christmas with a tanning bed and palm trees draped with snowflake garland.

Dudley and Sherry LeBlanc brought their five children to the parade for an afternoon of family fun.

Their youngest child, Holly, who is 2, was experiencing her first parade.

Gregory LeBlanc, armed with two plastic grocery sacks, one for him and one for Holly, came for one main reason.

“To get some candy,” he said.

But it seemed that he was already in the giving spirit of Christmas as he didn’t plan to keep it all for himself.

“I’ll give the chocolate to my mom,” he said. “She really likes chocolate.”

And while many of those lining the streets were families, Connie Sanford was childless.

She was waiting to see her children, Grace Richardson, 6, and Seth Sanford, 13, riding in the parade. The pair were aboard the Concordia Bank and Trust float.

“They are very excited,” she said. “It is all they have talked about for a week.”