I'm not going to pontificate on the real meaning behind Thanksgiving: the importance of family and counting your blessings. You are (presumably) a Grown Up. As a gen-u-ine Grown Up, you know that is the real purpose of Thanksgiving. I will not elaborate on those themes. No, I'm going to pontificate on something near and dear to my heart. The parade.
If you have to ask "What parade?" then you should know that I am doing a mental forehead smack and eye roll at you. And I'm not happy about it. The Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. A tradition since 1924. A personal favorite since 1972. Okay, maybe I wasn't an immediate fan, born one minute and watching the parade the next, but I've loved that parade for as long as I can remember so just go with me on this one. It's the only time all year you will hear me shout "The parade's on! Either shut the hell up or get out of the room!" Said with love of course. It's Thanksgiving for crying out loud.
The good folks at Macy's have got it going on parade-wise. Their store isn't bad either. Ahh … the parade. I love the mingling of old and new, the perennial favorites and the newcomers. Tom the Turkey mixing it up with Kung Fu Panda. Listening to Gladys Knight, Arlo Guthrie, and Kanye West (whom interrupted no one). What other show provides that kind of line up? Okay, every music award show ever broadcast, but you all know how I feel about awards shows (love 'em!). Put the acts in a line and parade them down 34th Street and you've got fun on a stick. I love fun on a stick.
The Macy's parade showcases various marching bands from all over the country. Love me a marching band! And I was never even in a marching band! The highest honor to be bestowed on a band is to lead the parade. Hons, can you imagine? Leading the most awesomest parade of the year? It's too much for me to fathom. Good thing Macy's picked someone other than me to lead the parade. I'd have wet my pants and then fainted. Not a good look. This year that honor went to Purdue's All-American Marching Band and the World's Largest Drum. Boo-yah! The Midwest makes it to the Thanksgiving Day parade in the form of the Boilermakers! To my knowledge, no Boilermaker wet his/her pants and then fainted. I actually watched the news to see if such an incident was reported. No such case made the news. Suh-weet!
Let's discuss the musical performances from various Broadway shows. I like them. We don't get too much culture here in the Midwest, unless you count corn mazes and the Farm Expo. Exposure to Broadway shows via the parade is a great way to hear about Broadway. Who knows? Maybe seeing a snippet of a show before the parade will inspire me to take a trip to NYC. Or at least inspire me to rent the video when the movie version comes out.
Know what my most favorite part of the parade is? Unequivocally, unapologetically, unabashedly, it's the Rockettes. I heart the Rockettes. The glamour! The sparkly outfits! The high kicks! Oh my! Growing up, I dreamed that I would one day become a Rockette (or a semi-truck driver, but that's a future post). Never mind my lack of talent, height, and ambition. I knew that I was destined to become a Rockette. Did you know that Rockettes must be between 5'6" and 5'10 1/2" (look it up) and proficient in tap and jazz? Well dang. I'm 5'2" and proficient in 80s trivia. Guess that's why I'm watching the Rockettes and thinking about being one for Halloween next year. Better work on my high kicks.
Santa's arrival is the end of the parade. It's always a bittersweet moment for me. Sweet because his arrival announces the opening of the Christmas season and I love Christmas. Bitter because another year is gone and I have failed to pass on my love for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade to either one of my children. But I'm forever thankful for them as for the rest of my family and that's what really matters on Thanksgiving. Now pass the mashed potatoes.
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