The History of Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

The history of Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is something for everyone and yet also very personal. For me, it was something my sister and I watched in delight and awe every year when we were kids. We were waiting to see Santa Claus at the end of the parade – because we were told Christmas officially started when Santa appeared and then headed back to the North Pole to get ready for Christmas Eve, 

We were also looking for my father, who was a NYC cop and assigned to the parade route every year. We looked very carefully at everything going on, and one year as I played with my toys my sister yelled out, "I see Daddy!" Unfortunately, when I looked up she said, "Now he's gone." We would continue this every year despite not seeing him until he came home for dinner with both sides of our family.

The parade is something of a NYC legend in the sense that it not only starts off the holiday season, but it also is a major event that captivates people from all over the world. The combination of exciting balloons of major characters from TV and film, and also performances by the biggest stars on those creatively decorated floats, is great fun and entertainment.

The video (see above) gives you an idea about the history of the parade – from its humble beginnings to its current extravagance – and you can see why it has become a truly must see experience whether in person or on TV.

I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving wherever you are celebrating today!