Pat Whatley
New Member
Somebody give me a theme for a Christmas float that isn't overly Christmas.....more like anything that's not Christmas that we can stick a Santa hat on and call it a Christmas float. Apparently we're going to continue the trend of half-assing a float one year, then putting actual effort into it the next year.
This is "actual effort" year.
Year one we did a 12' tall animatronic paper mache' snowman. We won the city parade float contest but they gave the prize to the Sheriff's Department float "because the Sheriff's department does so much for the city." Decided that year to NEVER go Christmas again.
Year two we stuck signs on a trailer and called it done.
Year three we made the bad assed pirate ship called the YO HO HO. Didn't win because it "wasn't Christmassy enough" but I bet there were more pictures taken of our float than the rest of the floats combined.
Year four we reused the signs from year two.
Year five was a 10' tall cartoon furry Christmas tree with a 10' tall cartoon house with a Suess moose coming through the upstairs window. Sold the house and the moose head (woo hoo!)
Year six....you guessed it, signs on a trailer but at least these were backlit with a strobe light.
Year seven we built a bamboo tiki hut, complete with palm roof, and threw lei's. That float was an award winner.
Year eight....upgraded signs on a float, backlit, 10,000 Christmas lights, but still amounts to just signs on a float.
THIS YEAR....this year I've got plenty of help, two bad assed nail guns, a new chainsaw and plenty of lumber...what I don't have are friends with any creative ability or the ability to do any intense decorative work.....and our usual budget of about $212.15 (half the fun is figuring out how to build the float for what is essentially a five gallon jug of change)
So here's what I need help with. I need a theme or an idea. It sucks that I can sit with these guys, drink beers, discuss the Christmas float, and the best idea I can get out of them is to build a dang X-wing fighter (won't work, too much wingspread) followed by a 30 minute discussion of making land cruisers (would look like a sofa) an inflatable Jabba the Hut, or an Ak-Ak with animatronic legs and candy cannon.
Right now I'm leaning toward a 2.5-D dragon standing on the back and laying across the top of the backlit sign in the middle of the float and using a squirrel cage blower to direct air through the body and out the mouth blowing backlit color "flame" streamers but that may be too ambitious considering my compatriots. Remember, with our budget and our time frame we're not talking Dan Sawatsky caliber bad-assed....the idea is that people are too confused about how the float ties in to Christmas that they don't notice the lack of adherence to safe, proper, or effective construction standards. (the tiki hut logged 180 miles on the road.....disassembly involved me knocking out one support and running for my life)
You people are creative geniuses and grown up juvenile delinquents.....throw out some ideas.
Please.
I hate Star Wars.
This is "actual effort" year.
Year one we did a 12' tall animatronic paper mache' snowman. We won the city parade float contest but they gave the prize to the Sheriff's Department float "because the Sheriff's department does so much for the city." Decided that year to NEVER go Christmas again.
Year two we stuck signs on a trailer and called it done.
Year three we made the bad assed pirate ship called the YO HO HO. Didn't win because it "wasn't Christmassy enough" but I bet there were more pictures taken of our float than the rest of the floats combined.
Year four we reused the signs from year two.
Year five was a 10' tall cartoon furry Christmas tree with a 10' tall cartoon house with a Suess moose coming through the upstairs window. Sold the house and the moose head (woo hoo!)
Year six....you guessed it, signs on a trailer but at least these were backlit with a strobe light.
Year seven we built a bamboo tiki hut, complete with palm roof, and threw lei's. That float was an award winner.
Year eight....upgraded signs on a float, backlit, 10,000 Christmas lights, but still amounts to just signs on a float.
THIS YEAR....this year I've got plenty of help, two bad assed nail guns, a new chainsaw and plenty of lumber...what I don't have are friends with any creative ability or the ability to do any intense decorative work.....and our usual budget of about $212.15 (half the fun is figuring out how to build the float for what is essentially a five gallon jug of change)
So here's what I need help with. I need a theme or an idea. It sucks that I can sit with these guys, drink beers, discuss the Christmas float, and the best idea I can get out of them is to build a dang X-wing fighter (won't work, too much wingspread) followed by a 30 minute discussion of making land cruisers (would look like a sofa) an inflatable Jabba the Hut, or an Ak-Ak with animatronic legs and candy cannon.
Right now I'm leaning toward a 2.5-D dragon standing on the back and laying across the top of the backlit sign in the middle of the float and using a squirrel cage blower to direct air through the body and out the mouth blowing backlit color "flame" streamers but that may be too ambitious considering my compatriots. Remember, with our budget and our time frame we're not talking Dan Sawatsky caliber bad-assed....the idea is that people are too confused about how the float ties in to Christmas that they don't notice the lack of adherence to safe, proper, or effective construction standards. (the tiki hut logged 180 miles on the road.....disassembly involved me knocking out one support and running for my life)
You people are creative geniuses and grown up juvenile delinquents.....throw out some ideas.
Please.
I hate Star Wars.
