We&8217;re almost certain we&8217;ve never seen Natchez Tourism Director Walter Tipton wearing a red suit, let alone one made of fur.

We don&8217;t recall seeing Tipton sporting a beard especially not a long, white one.

And to the best of our knowledge he gets around on four wheels, not a sleigh pulled by magic reindeer.

But despite the differing appearance from the traditional form of the Jolly Ole St. Nick, Tipton is mostly certainly Santa Claus this year. He has saved Christmas this year, or at least the Natchez Christmas parade.

And for that, we are grateful.

Tipton and small band of volunteers stepped forward this year to save the parade after the Natchez Downtown Development Authority opted not to hold the parade this year. Producing parades just isn&8217;t within the mission of the NDDA anymore, their leaders said. That&8217;s understandable.

And, in all honesty, parades don&8217;t fall under Tipton&8217;s mission, either. The diversion of attention required to produce the parade almost certainly will not help the city&8217;s tourism efforts.

Ultimately, we&8217;re happy he and others stepped forward and showed the leadership and community interest to keep the parade afloat this year.

Going forward, however, we hope another group will take the reins and make the parade truly fly, just like Santa&8217;s reindeer.