Morning After

Parade was fun and fantasy; trashed streets the next day brought us back to reality

Tuesday was a magical night indeed. The Christmas Parade had been scheduled for Monday, but weather forced a move to the next evening.

Crowds lined the streets of downtown Texarkana to watch as brightly lit floats and marching bands made their way along the parade route. Antique cars and even an Elvis impersonator helped bring joy to the onlookers.

The highlight of the parade was the arrival of Old Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, Santa Claus himself. Now it really felt like Christmas in the Twin Cities. The night was filled with the holiday spirit.

Not so much the next morning, though.

No, those of us who work downtown didn’t see much joy as we made our way to the office on Wednesday morning. Instead, we saw trash. A lot of trash.

The crowds from the night before may have taken Christmas spirit home with them, but they left a lot of litter for someone else to clean up.

Candy wrappers, napkins, paper cups and other assorted garbage lined the streets. City workers had their cleanup work cut out for them.

We have to wonder what kind of person has so little respect for their city as to just drop their trash in the streets. Indeed, what kind of person has so little respect for their fellow citizens and ultimately for themselves?

It takes a lot of work and planning to put on a parade for the people of Texarkana to enjoy. The very least the people can do to show some appreciation is clean up after themselves.

But it appears that’s just too much to expect from some of our fellow residents.

Tuesday night was fantasy. Wednesday morning was reality. It’s sad.

We imagine most here are considerate. Most collected any trash they had and took it to a proper receptacle. We appreciate that.

But for those who didn’t, think about your actions the next time you are downtown for a parade or event. Think twice anytime you are tempted to litter our city. Think about what you are teaching your kids.

And think about what such a lack of consideration says about you.