On this day in 1924, Macy’s Celebrated its first-ever Thanksgiving (Christmas) Day parade. It was the roaring twenties and a time of great prosperity and pleasure. The Macy’s Day parade is tied for the second oldest Thanksgiving parade in the country (the oldest is in Philadelphia). The parade started at 9:00 AM and lasted for three hours. The total length of the parade was only two city blocks but the route was three times (around 6 miles) longer than it is today. This “Marathon of Mirth” started with a police escort at 145 Street and Convent street. It had three floats, four bands, and borrowed animals from the Central Park Zoo. A noticeable absence was the balloons. Balloons weren’t introduced until 1927, replacing the animals that scared the children. The parade was staffed by Macy’s employees, family, and friends who volunteered. Most of the workers today still consist of Macy’s employees (there is an estimated 6500 workers for the parade today). Around 250,000 spectators eagerly crowded the streets to see the sights and hear the sounds. The theme of that first year was nursery rhymes. Little ones got to see their favorite characters like Little Red Riding Hood and Little Miss Muffet dressed in vibrant colors. The parade route marched toward 34th Street, which was the location of Macy’s flagship store. The ecstatic onlookers waited for the crown of the parade at the end. The end of the parade was Santa, or as he was labeled that first parade, “The King of the Kiddies.” He sat on a throne announcing that it was officially Christmas time.
The Macy’s Day parade has only been canceled three times since then (due to WW II). There was even a version of the parade during Covid. Today over three million people pack the parade route while nearly 26 million people tune their television screens for this pre-Thanksgiving meal celebration. The Bible doesn’t record many “parades”, but it does give details in regards to one of the most tragic ones in history. Nearly two thousand years ago the citizens of Jerusalem gathered around the ancient city streets to see a spectacle. The crowd would have pressed together in hopes to witness a once and a lifetime event. The rumors had spread through the city in the early morning hours. They heard that Pilate washed his hands of the one named Jesus and turned him over to the religious leaders to be crucified. A wearied and beaten Jesus bore the cross beam toward Golgotha, toward the place of destiny. The raucous crowd would have flung insult after insult at the innocent Lamb of God. The soldiers noticed Jesus’ struggle and the Bible says “As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross (Matthew 27:32).” We know nothing about this man other than the facts given. We simply know that he helped Jesus bear His cross. Jesus was nailed to the cross, He suffered, bled, and died. He gave us His life so that we would have life. He was forsaken from His Father so we could be adopted into the family of God. The moment of celebration didn’t come through during the tragic parade route through old Jerusalem, the celebration came three days later as Christ burst forth from the grave defeating death, sin, and Satan for all who come to believe. There are many reasons to give thanks during this season, but let us not forget the world's saddest parade that would bring about the happiest of days.
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