"The Hollywood Christmas Parade" 2010

The Hollywood Christmas Parade 2010 was held on Sunday, November 28, at 6 pm PT and will air on the Hallmark Channel on Friday, December 10, 2010 at 8am ET and on the Hallmark Movie Channel on Friday, December 10, 2010 at 8pm ET and again on Wednesday, December 15, 2010 at 8pm ET.

The Holly wood Christmas Parade has had a long history. The parade started in started in 1928, and was created to boost shopping. At that time the" Hollywood Christmas Parade" was called "The Santa Claus Lane Parade." The first parade only had Santa Claus and actress Jeanette Loff. The parade started growing in size with the help of local businesses.

However, from 1942 through 1944 the parade was suspended because of the war. The parade re-opened again in 1945 and there was a huge attendance.

One fact you may not know concerning the Christmas classic "Here Comes Santa Claus" is that in 1946, the parade welcomed singer Gene Autry to be in the parade, he rode his horse in the parade, and he was inspired by the children yelling "Here comes Santa Claus, Here comes Santa Claus," to write the song "Here Comes Santa Claus."

The 1950's through 1970's the parade continued to grow and bands, floats and celebrities were being added to the parade. At this time the parade was not being broadcast on the air, but in 1978 this was changed, as the parade was renamed "The Hollywood Christmas Parade" and broadcast locally on KTLA-TV with the help of Johnny Grant.

The parade has had many obstacles get in its way. From being aired in 2004 as a prime time event and the parade was a ratings disaster. In 2005 the parade was not aired due to costs being too high. In 2008 the parade was not shown on television, but was available on DVD and online. In 2009 My Network TV aired the parade in two prime-time showings. The first showing aired on December 10, the second airing was on Christmas Eve.

The "Hollywood Christmas Parade" has had many well-known Grand Marshalls such as Bob Hope in 1978, Ron Howard in 1982, Michael Landon in 1984, Beau Bridges in 1999 and Mickey Rooney in 2002. Most recent Grand Marshals were George Lopez in 2006, Bob Barker in 2007 and Susan Lucci in 2009.

The Grand Marshal for 2010 is Larry King. Eric Estrada will host the "Hollywood Christmas Parade" 2010, which will include musical performances that were performed at the Hollywood tree-lighting event that was held on Nov. 20, which included Dave Koz and "American Idol" winner Taylor Hicks, as reported by Pasadena Star News.