It’s ten days til Thanksgiving.
Ten days til we wake up early and head to the kitchen for a marathon cooking day.
Ten days til we stuff ourselves like no tomorrow, pack up some leftovers and sleep it off in the recliner.
And somewhere in the midst of all that, we’ll turn on the TV for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
For the past few years, the parade has been less and less of the quality and holiday that it used to be. Who can forget three years ago when the abundance of music was loud rock and rap? Or last year when NBC’s cameras so often caught a shot of the scanty Victoria’s Secret billboard… yeah, Santa. That’s really what I want for Christmas. To keep seeing some other woman’s perky boobs laced in red during Family Time. Thanks.
Now before you go calling me a prude, I will be the first to admit that in three days I’ll be standing for hours in line to catch the midnight showing of Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1. And it has nothing to do with Bella.
But that doesn’t mean I want vampires and werewolves around on Thanksgiving. There’s a time and a place for everything. And I just don’t think Macy’s is the place for, well, what it’s been the place for the past few years.
Last year, I had the grand idea to start a letter writing campaign: to let Macy’s, NBC, and New York City know that it’s okay to get back to the fundamentals of the season. To not promote celebrity for the sake of celebrity; but to honor talented individuals and groups. To hear them sing Christmas songs. To not be inundated with extravagant costumes and sales and bling; but to appreciate the gathering of people, the holiday cheer and good will.
How did it turn out, you ask? Well, I’ll tell you… it didn’t. It was one of those ideas that I didn’t write down, mention to anyone, or think I should even approach. So I let it go.
And now, here it is, almost time for the next Parade. And I’m holding my breath. Will Andrea Bocelli or Harry Connick, Jr. serenade us with holiday ballads? What Broadway shows will be featured? Will there be honors given to local heros? How high will the Rockettes kick this year?
While I know the opening and closing of the parade will be spectacular, and the High School Bands will be impressive, it’s the in-between stuff that has me wondering if I should even bother to watch. I’m certain to be disappointed, and possibly disgusted.
And the anticipation of that disappointment has me wondering… what would the perfect Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade be like?
If you were the planner/director person, how would you put on the parade? Would it have a particular holiday theme? What holiday elements would you like to see? Who would your performers be?
Leave your comments here. If this year’s Parade doesn’t hold up to standards, maybe I’ll forward this to Macy’s Social Department and see if our voices matter. (I think they do!)
OMG’sh I so agree with you! I haven’t watched the Macy’s parade in so long because I just can’t stand how they have really gone down hill in quality and entertainment! if it were up to me~ I would do a Child’s winter wonder land! Wizard of Oz, Candy Land,
maybe even a Disney theme, with all the excitement and exhuberance that a child feels when they 1st experience any of those, and of course Iwould have to have some Rankin-Bass Charcaters in there…Love Burl Ives as the Snow man, Micky Rooney as Santa, Keenan Wynn as the Winter Warlock, and Even Fred Astaire as the Mailman, That would be my Ideal Macy’s Parade!
We stopped watching years ago for the very same reason, it just wasn’t fun anymore for any of us.
I’ve never watched it because (1) I’m not a huge fan of parades and (2) I prefer to make my own magic on Thanksgiving. I would rather focus on family and probably making all of my Christmas gifts then watch a huge celebration that costs a ton of money that no one has.