TEMPLE, Texas — Some say it takes a village, but for the Taylor's Valley Baptist Church, all it takes are many willing community members to build a meaningful float.
Together, the church has been building their 80-foot float that'll be showcased in the 76th annual Christmas Parade and Tree Lighting in Temple.
Church members said they are grateful to have a project like this, and it always brings them together during the holidays.
"Having the float as something new to look forward to, it helped me to have something to look forward to," Heather Smith, a member of the church, said.
Smith's husband was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2020. This made the holidays a very hard time for Smith and her family.
They had one thing holding them all together, and that was their church.
Getting together for the past three years to put this float together has helped every single person in their community get through hard times.
"It's just a sweet way to come together on a project to show love and care," Smith said.
This year's parade theme is "It's a Groovy Christmas," so the church wants everyone to know they should fully expect a very groovy float.
Thousands of lights will trim their float, and members of the church will be aboard.
But with all the tinsel and festive gear, Smith wants to remind everyone that their float has a lot more meaning behind it this year.
It is a float that brought joy and happiness to so many peoples lives in a time where they were going through the hardest moments in their lives.
"It's kind of a subtle way to share our story of how god cares and loves for us," she said.