Monroe 'Come Home for Christmas' Parade Scheduled for Dec. 6

Monroe's Christmas Parade is just one day away. With a 2012 theme of  "Coming Home for Christmas," the parade is schedule for Dec. 6, getting underway at 6:30 p.m.

This year's Christmas Parade also honors local singer/songwriter, Carrie Bowen with the release of her new album, Sleepy Little Town. According to the Downtown Monroe website, "twinkle lights align the streets, the shops are all a-glow, and the family is gathering for Christmas. All the emotions of coming back home for the holidays are expressed in Carrie Bowen’s title track “Sleepy Little Town."

The song was written by Bowden and her niece Kennedy Melton and reportedly starts with the island sound of a ukulele and the soft cadence of jingle bells. Filled with gentle harmonies and lyrics that embody the feeling of coming back to Monroe, where Bowen grew up.

“I wanted to capture the simple wonder of what it feels like to drive through downtown Monroe at night time during Christmas holidays with the longing of coming home to be with the ones we love most,” Bowen said.

This is the spirit officials are looking for in this year's parade - whether it's family members who have moved away or loved ones deployed overseas, Christmas is the time to return home - in this case to Monroe! Whatever your hometown memory of Monroe is, the parade will give you the opportunity to portray that to the community.

This will be followed by the second Thursday of Candlelight Shopping in downtown Monroe. Come on out and Come Home for Christmas.