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The Christmas tiffany jewelry spirit comes earlier nowadays, thanks to commercialism.

In Pueblo, the holiday officially is ushered in with the city’s annual Parade of Lights, which celebrates its 20th year this month.

Each year on the Saturday after Thanksgiving Day, hundreds of Puebloans line Union Avenue to watch bright, beaming floats travel from the Mesa Junction to Fifth and Court streets.

And to see Santa Claus, of course.

“We’re trying to create memories for the kids, and even the adults enjoy it. Everyone is just upbeat and yelling ‘Merry Christmas!’ It creates a nice feeling to kick off the holiday season,” said Kerry Gladney, a parade organizer since the event’s inception. “It’s just such a family event,” said parade director Heidi Miller. “People come down and wrap up in blankets, with hot chocolate, and watch the lights come by.”

The parade is organized by three business associations: the Pueblo Downtown Association, Mesa Junction Business Association and Union Avenue Historic Association.

“This is actually the 21st parade,” Gladney said. “The city tried to key rings do one that first year, but it only had a couple floats and it only went a couple blocks. When we started, it was to get the three business districts to work together.”

As many as 130 floats have participated in a parade, a good turnout but one that proved to be too long in cold, winter weather. Today, organizers try to cap entry numbers at 100.

Each year the parade takes on a new theme. This year’s is “Twenty Twinkling Years.”

In honor of the parade’s 20th anniversary, a theme contest was held and won by Colorado State University-Pueblo spokeswoman Cora Zaletel.

Roughly 2 miles in length, the parade kicks off with fireworks and holiday hoopla at Union and Abriendo avenues. From there it travels over the Union Avenue bridge and into the historic district, where stores are open late and cafes and coffee shops are generally packed.

At the center of the route, around the Historic Arkansas Riverwalk of Pueblo and City Hall, Pueblo Community College’s television crew films the parade, which usually is replayed throughout the holiday season on public-access television.

“(Television) gives people who can’t get down there a chance to see the parade,” said Gladney,

owner of Pueblo Bearing and a board member of Pueblo Bank & Trust, a 20-year

event sponsor and the last stop on the route.

Located at Fifth and Court, the bank hosts a community gathering with hot necklaces cider, a tree-lighting ceremony and a chance for children to sit and visit with St. Nick.

A fun and free event, the parade has experienced some problems.

“One year we thought we weren’t going to have a parade. It costs a lot of money (about $15,000) to put on the parade. You have to pay for barricades, insurance, advertising, stuff like that. We had to raise entry fees a few years ago,” Gladney said.

Business groups and sponsors responded and the parade marches on with its thousands of twinkling lights and Christmas spirit.

The parade was voted Pueblo’s best parade and best Christmas tradition in The Chieftain’s “Best of ‘09″ readership poll.

“We beat out potica as the most favorite Christmas tradition. Parade of Lights and then potica. That’s quite a feat in Pueblo,” Gladney said.

nickb@chieftain.com