FLASHBACK 1924

"when i was...a young boy...my father...took me into the city...to see a marching band..."

fun history lesson!! in the 1920's, macy's department store employed, mostly, first~generation immigrants to america. and, as proud americans, they wanted to celebrate the united states day of thanksgiving with a parade. so...in 1924, the first macy's thanksgiving day parade made it's way from 145th street, in harlem, to macy's on 34th street. employees and professional entertainers made up the procession. there were floats. there were animals. there were professional bands. and, of course, santa claus!! in 1927, the first balloon was designed by tony sarg (a marionette maker). that first balloon you ask? felix the cat. in 1929, the cast of balloons had expanded. address labels were sewn into the balloons. at the end of the parade, the balloons were released. anyone finding and returning a balloon was given a gift from macy's. this practice stopped in 1931, after a few close calls with aviators attempting to catch the balloons mid~air! the parade as gone on every thanksgiving since 1924, with the exception of a short suspension from 1942~1944 (during WWII). 
FLASH FORWARD today
the macy's thanksgiving day parade is now a staple in many homes on thanksgiving morning. it's definitely on in my house while i'm cooking and getting ready for the day. every year, new balloons are added, usually pop culture icons. most recently, paul frank's sock monkey and tim burton's balloon boy. this year you can expect to see a 2nd version of hello kitty and elf on the shelf. there will be live music by marching bands from all over the country. and some of your favorite artists will lip~synch holiday songs to get you in the spirit of the holidays. i know what you're thinking...LIP~SYNCH?!! yeah. they lip~synch. but, only because of the technical difficulties of using wireless microphones on a moving float and not because they can't really sing. although, i'm sure that's true in some cases *cough cough carly rae jepson cough cough*.
so, this thanksgiving...while your dressing your turkey and candying your yams...turn the tv to your local nbc channel...and get pumped up for the holiday!!