Crowds of spectators lined both sides of College Street from Thach Avenue to Glenn Avenue to get a glimpse of floats moving down the road and possibly even catch a couple pieces of candy.
On Sunday afternoon, the Auburn Downtown Merchants Association and Auburn Chamber of Commerce hosted the annual Auburn Christmas Parade.
With nearly 75 entries in all, parade participants ranged from local businesses and community organizations to radio stations and local school marching bands.
Some rode in homemade floats adorned with wreaths and lights with mounted speakers playing holiday jingles. Others marched at a steady pace holding a banner or tossing goodies to either side of bundled-up onlookers.
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Click here to see the full photo gallery from the 2017 Auburn Christmas Parade.
One parade participant was savvy enough to hitch a ride on an Auburn Fire Department truck: Santa Claus.
Santa is always the last spectacle of the parade and has been starring in its grand finale for many years – 53 years to be exact.
The Auburn Christmas Parade has been around since 1964, according to Jennifer Fincher, vice president of communications and marketing for the Auburn Chamber of Commerce.
“We always have a big turnout,” Fincher said “We encourage everyone to come before the parade and to stay
When the parade ended, some paradegoers opted for just that.
Others made a rush straight for The Hotel at Auburn University to witness the unveiling of what's billed by the hotel as the "largest gingerbread village in East Alabama."
The gingerbread village sits atop a large frame and covers a significant portion of the hotel’s foyer.
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Click here to see the full photo gallery from the 2017 Auburn Gingerbread Village unveiling.
It is populated by edible versions of familiar local buildings, including the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art and The Hotel at Auburn University.
At the middle sits a chocolate-covered rendition of Samford Hall that is surrounded by a moving toy train.
Graham cracker roofs and candy cane columns are a few of many designs that adorn the village architecture.
The gingerbread village will be on display at the hotel until the beginning of the new year.
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