APPLETON, Wis. (WFRV) - Preparations for the Appleton Christmas parade are underway. The Fox Cities Salvation Army began decorating their magical float Saturday morning. For years, the organization has taken part in the parade and with the help of this year's partners, Azco and Wedding Perfect, the holiday season is looking merry and bright. ‘Christmas in the Mansion’ returns to Manitowoc’s Rahr-West Art Museum "I like to be able to do a lot of things and help people when I can," said Bella Schill, a first-time Azco volunteer. "It's nice to be able to do individual things and then collectively create something that everybody can enjoy." Schill explained there is nothing more important during the holidays than family and community so she volunteers because it's the right thing to do. More than a dozen volunteers helped with the decorations and while Azco provided additional funds for the decorations, all decorations are new and supplied by Wedding Perfect. Wedding Perfect also created the entire concept for the float. "We started out with a vision of what this might look like, of course this is our first float," beamed Jenny Smith, the owner and decorator at Wedding Perfect. "I'm used to decorating weddings and events and that sort of thing but just mapping things out and then to see the amazing outpouring of help." Green Bay holiday parade brings “Hometown Holiday” magic to downtown Those who worked together to create the enchanting float, including the Executive Director herself, said it's the magic of the red kettle that makes the experience truly special. "The idea behind it was also to just give a really big version of what the red kettle does when you seen them during the season," said Kristal Knudtson. "It is to give hope. It is to give hope to those who are in need and who need it."