My friend Michelle has a family friend who worked at Macy's and signed us up to participate, and I have to tell you, it was magical! We took a bus into NYC from Macy's in New Haven, Connecticut, very late the night before Thanksgiving, and arrived in the city in the wee hours of the morning. We were taken into Macy's for our wardrobe, instructed on where we would be in the parade and what time to be in place, and then we headed out with a few hours to spare before the start of the parade.
Our group of Clowns, from Macy's New Haven
We wandered the streets and watched with wonder as the parade came to life. It was magical. The balloons were amazing - they are so much bigger than I would have ever imagined! We watched as they were being blown up, starting out flat and then expanding bigger and bigger, tied down by huge sandbags. And we watched as they were allowed to float up, controlled by dozens of handlers.
Michelle and I, and Superman, of course.
Me and Underdog.
Finally, we took our places and the parade started. We marched through the streets, exhausted from the long night and lack of sleep, but energized by the crowds, the spectacle of it all, and by being part of something that is such a a part of holiday tradition.
At the end, we shed our costumes, got back on the bus, and headed to our family celebrations. I got home at about 5PM, and my family was waiting, turkey and all the trimmings ready to go, but honestly, I was so exhausted, I don't really remember much else.
So, that's my most memorable Thanksgiving - what about you?
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7 comments:
I don't have anything as exciting as the Macy's parade! The best memory was when I had a newborn and we flew out to visit relatives on Thanksgiving. Grandma was 88 years old then and couldn't see very well. She saw my infant and said,"Gimme that baby!" I politely told her that I wanted to hold him (I feared she would drop him). She said,"Lemme hold him!" I reluctantly gave him over to Grandma and as she waddled into the living room, I was close behind her! She did fine with the whole thing. I should've known better! She even cooked 2 turkeys that day for all of the relatives! She said she loves everyone over at her home. Grandma is still with us and we hope to see her again in March!
Molly - OMG! Your story goes right along with my Thanksgiving tradition of always watching the Macy's day parade (oh, and to top it off, we used to live in New Haven, CT when I was a kid!). I'm so jealous that you actually got to be IN the parade. I was in our high school marching band and the year AFTER I graduated, they marched in the parade. My timing must be off or something! :-)
My Thanksgiving has really nothing to do with traveling, just the fact that we love getting together for a meal as a family at Thanksgiving. We did away with the traditional turkey feast years ago when we realized that no one wanted turkey again year after year. So, every year we try something different, but we still come together as a family sharing a meal.
when we sit down to eat we all write down something we are thankful for
Wow, I would love to see the Macy's Parade in person!
I don't have ONE specific favorite Thanksgiving memory. I just miss the days when the whole family would be together, talking (and often arguing!) and just showing that love that only families have.
As a little girl, I always had to sit at the "kids table" with my niece (she is my age). We didn't mind, it was like we had our own special restaurant.
Many years later, some family members have moved away, others have extended families of their own, and some have passed on.
I cherish the memories of the time we spent as one big loving and crazy family.
Turkey Day! My favorite part is just being able to see family, that though we live fairly close to each other our lives get so busy..and the time passes so fast. I love sitting down listening to everyone gab, seeing some of ours Aunt's drink way too much wine and seeing how much the "kids" have grown. Looking at the table all filled with goodies and eating so much that you must undo your top button on your jeans. Talking about funny traditions and things we did in our "younger days"..seeing the guys all congregate into one room playing pool and watching football and picking on "Uncle Pete"..of course all in good fun. Then knowing that our "Secret Santa" names are coming and trying desperately to cheat and find out who has who...ahhh the joys of Thanksgiving! I love it!
Hey anon...are you going to make me guess which one of my family members you are?
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