From 9 a.m. to noon on the fourth Thursday of every November, my family always knows where to find me. No, I am not watching football or participating in a Turkey Trot. I’m probably not helping out in the kitchen either, much to my mom’s dismay. Instead, I am planted in front of the TV, wrapped in my Snuggie, glued to the fantastical event that is the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Go ahead and laugh, but it is a tradition. I remember waking up as a little girl, running downstairs, and being BEYOND excited to see all of the floats and watch all of the singers lip sync their hearts out. Okay, so I totally thought they were actually singing, but nonetheless, it was an event. I’d make my hot chocolate and be completely content for three hours straight. I’d dance along to the music, sing Christmas carols at the top of my lungs, and drool over all the sparkly, winter clothing. The same will probably happen this year, except my hot chocolate will be replaced by a piping hot mug (or vat) of coffee
If you don’t usually watch the parade, I’m using this article to convince you to change your ways. And if you are already an avid Macy’s Day Parade fan, then this is just a reminder as to how great it is going to be. So without further ado, here are the 10 reasons why you need to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade this year.
1. Balloons, balloonicles, balloonheads and trycaloons
Bet you didn’t know that there are that many variations of balloons! This year, Macy’s is going above and beyond. There are 15 giant character balloons in addition to 37 large-scale novelty/ornament balloons. The 37 novelty/ornament balloons include balloonicles, balloonheads, and trycaloons. Never heard of a trycaloon? Obviously it is a balloon on a tricycle… duh! There are 30 floats, 1,600 cheerleaders and dancers, 900 clowns, 11 marching bands, and a ton of celebrity performances. So basically, it is going to be spectacular.
2. Star Power.
There are way too many celebrities making appearances at this year’s parade for me to list out here. So I will just give you some of the highlights (in my opinion):
· Kristin Chenoweth
· Gavin DeGraw
· Fall Out Boy
· Florida Georgia Line
· Goo Goo Dolls
· Cher Lloyd
3. The Today Show Gang
I grew up watching The Today Show every morning before school, so that fact that Matt Lauer, Al Roker, and Savannah Guthrie are hosting this year’s parade makes me incredibly happy. You can never get enough of their witty banter and corny humor. And it is fun to watch them get all giddy over balloons, music, and dancing.
4. Carrie Underwood & “The Sound of Music Live!” Cast
This year, Carrie Underwood will be making a special appearance during the first hour of the parade to promote NBC’s upcoming TV special “The Sound of Music Live!” I am strangely excited for this TV event, mainly because Bill from True Blood is playing Captain Von Trapp and I am curious to hear him sing. Anyways, I don’t know how they are going to do The Sound of Music justice in an hour-long special, but hopefully Mrs. Underwood will give us a preview on Thursday!
5. The Clothing.
Because it is always so cold on Thanksgiving, celebrities break out their “winters-best.” I love seeing all of the coats, hats, scarves, and gloves. Plus, outfits are usually complete with lots of sparkle – a girl’s best friend during the holiday season.
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6. High Kickin’ Rockettes
It’s every girl’s dream to become a Rockette. Between the stylish outfits, the amazing dance skills, and those crazy long legs, who wouldn’t want to join the kick line? Every year, the Rockettes make an appearance at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade to show off some of their Christmas Spectacular routine. If you have never had the chance to see the Radio City Christmas Spectacular in NYC, then this is your chance!
7. Broadway Babies
Center stage of the parade (which is really just a small area of the parade route plastered with a giant Macy’s logo) features various performances from up-and-coming Broadway shows. This year, the casts of Mathilda and Motown will be taking center stage, in addition to a few other shows that haven’t been released yet.
8. Despicably Delicious!
For all of the Despicable Me fans out there, a new balloon will be debuting on Thursday… Despicably Delicious! So you are definitely going to want to have your TV on for that. What’s not to love about a minion?
9. Marching Bands & Dance Groups
There will be a ton of high school marching bands and dance groups involved in the parade as well as a good number of collegiate groups, too. You might even see some of your friends who go to other schools. Personally, I am most excited for the all-male cloggers of “All That!” They were on America’s Got Talent, so they must be good, right?
10. SANTA! I KNOW HIM!
Obviously the most important part of the parade is when Santa pulls up in his sleigh, signaling the official beginning of the Christmas season. While collegiettes already have their Starbucks Christmas cups in hand and stores across America are blasting Christmas carols, it isn’t until Santa arrives during the Macy’s parade that Christmas can really, truly begin.
And if you haven’t had enough cheesy, holiday fun by noon on Thursday, you can always stay tuned for the National Dog Show. I may or may not have watched it a few times over the years, because who can resist adorable puppies performing adorable tricks!
I hope you all have an amazing Thanksgiving and don’t forget to watch the parade from 9 a.m. to noon on Thanksgiving Day!
Sources:
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/magnificent-celebration-87th-annual-macy-163000714.html
http://gonyc.about.com/b/2013/08/19/get-excited-about-the-macys-thanksgiving-day-parade.htm
http://www.gotceleb.com/carly-rae-jepsen-2012-macys-thanksgiving-day-parade-2012-11-22.html