This year may be unlike any previous year in recent memory, but for many the first Saturday in December will be spent the same way it’s been for more than four decades: at the Ship Bottom Christmas Parade. So, mark the calendar for Dec. 5 as Santa Claus is coming to town.

Stay tuned for details about the parade’s theme and any changes that may be required to meet public health emergency guidelines due to the coronavirus pandemic, which has prompted other longtime Long Beach Island area events to reinvent themselves this year.   

In September, after discussing the matter with medical professionals and the borough’s solicitor, officials announced…