The sweet aroma of homemade pumpkin pie, apple pie and cherry pie serenaded the house. My mouth watered as I drew near to the kitchen and my stomach grumbled at the number of delicacies that were prepared and cooked overnight in preparation for the annual Harrigan’s Family Thanksgiving Dinner.

Since I wasn’t allowed to eat any of the food before the dinner, I put on my imaginary blinders, walked over to the counter and poured myself a cup of coffee. Afterwards, I proceeded to get ready. On my way out, I gave my mother a kiss on her cheek, grabbed a muffin and headed down to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade located in Manhattan, New York!

This year the parade was impressive! It is like stepping into cartoon heaven because all of your favorite characters were there floating in the sky and gliding through the entire parade route. There were oversized balloons such as Thomas the Choo Choo Train, Hello Kitty, Charlie Brown (the crowd favorite), Ronald McDonald, SpongeBob Square Pants, Angry Bird and the bouncing dog; just to name a few. The newest member of the parade was Charlie Brown, and his friends were happily greeted with an eruption of screams from the crowd when the balloon arrived at the Grand Stand. The handlers or people holding the cord connected to the balloon characters walked with huge smiles on their faces.

Additionally, there were beautiful colorful floats. Some of them were the Marion Carol Show Boat, On the Roll Again, The International Celebearation Clock Tower, Gold Fish on Parade and 1-2-3 Sesame Street. Parade-goers who were both young and old cheered and clapped loudly as the floats passed.

It was awesome watching the various marching bands perform their dance ensembles. The New York Police Department Marching Band, The Georgia State University Marching Band, Bahama All-Star Marching Band were all fun to watch. The Macy’s Great American Marching Band was my favorite. This band, comprised of students from all 50 states performed on the parade route with a combination of instrumentals and choreographed dance moves. Their performance was flawless and very entertaining!

Another fun aspect of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade was watching all the colorful clowns. One of my favorites was the Sleepy Clowns. The clowns, dressed in their pajamas were ready for bed. They held their teddy bears and walked alongside the alarm clock. I thought this was hilarious. Then there was the Celebration Clowns who were lively and energetic. Marching in bright purple wigs were the Nutty Cracker Ballet Clowns and Sugar Plump Fairies. I loved their purple and pink costumes because of the color coordination. Matching colors, by the way, is very rare for clowns.

Towards the end of the parade, the Singer Mariah Carey graced parade goers with her presence. Excited spectators screamed, waved and took pictures of Mariah sitting on the Christmas Float that glided down the street. She stood up, smiled and graciously waved at everyone. Her popular song, “All I Want for Christmas Is You” was playing loudly in the background. It was all fun to watch!

The weather was 60 degrees and New York City, and it was the perfect temperature for those of us who stood there for hours watching the parade. The Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade was terrific! The atmosphere consisted of excited tourists and residents who were snapping away with their cameras. There were Dunkin Donuts stations that served complimentary hot chocolate and donuts. Some people admitted to camping out from the night before just to secure a spot to watch the parade. “It was worth it,” they said. However, I arrived 30 minutes before the event began and had front row access because of my VIP tickets. The experience was awesome! There was a heating center that had food and drinks. Everyone was very polite.

Once Santa Claus arrived, it symbolized that the parade was over. Afterwards, I eagerly headed to my house and assisted with the preparations and decorations suitable for 75 guests for Thanksgiving Dinner! As dinner time drew near, the house filled with family and friends. The atmosphere was welcoming, warm, and there was lots of laughter. My Thanksgiving Holiday was fun, and everyone had a great time.

Happy Thanksgiving!

***Did you enjoy this post? Then leave a comment, share on social media and subscribe to the newsletter! View more pictures in the gallery. If pics are no longer there, then follow me on Instagram to access all of the Travel with Africah adventures at Instagram.com/AFRICAH_HARRIGAN ***