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Writer's pictureLizette Strait

Happy Thanksgiving — Remembering past holidays with family & the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

Thanksgiving traditions and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.


 

Spiderman
Spiderman @ Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

Every year on the 4th Thursday of November we gather and give thanks for what we have. Health, happiness and the people in our lives. But unfortunately, as the years go by it seems like there are less people around the table.


Getting up early in the morning to put the turkey in the oven, peeling potatoes, and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on the TV in the background are instilled in our collective memories. The smells and sounds are like souvenirs from the past.


But there was one particular holiday that wasn’t spent in a kitchen. Many years ago, my brother was living in NYC’s Hell Kitchen in a 5th-floor walkup. We all decided to travel by train and spend Thanksgiving in the city and go the Macy's parade. I’m going to tell you now, if you never witnessed the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade in person, you are missing one of the wonders of the world. Watching it on TV is a tradition, but to experience it firsthand is ethereal.


Thanksgiving Day Parade
Mom, Me, Alan

The balloons are enormous and as they pass by, they eclipse the entire sky above. If you reach out, you can almost touch them. I’ll never forget the experience of the parade with my mom and then future husband.



Traditions are important and need to be passed down from one generation to the next. Especially the ones that are holiday inspired. My mom would tell me stories about growing up and the struggles they had being a family of 7. One such story that has turned into a tradition is the Thanksgiving Day turkey.


One year my mom's family couldn’t afford a turkey, so her mom made meatloaf and shaped it into a turkey. I thought this was a fabulous family story and I turned it into a tradition. So, each Friday the day after Thanksgiving, we have meatloaf shaped into a turkey.

Meatloaf
Thanksgiving Turkey Meatloaf

My mom is my inspiration to cook. I have many of her recipes, along with my mother-in-law’s and some healthy living tips I hope to share them with you in the coming months.

So, tell me. What holiday traditions do you treasure?



Happy Thanksgiving,

Lizette

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