Since 1924, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has been an annual New York event, beginning holiday shopping and introducing Santa Claus to the public. It has taken place every year, except when it was canceled for three years (1942–1944) because the balloons’ rubber and helium were needed for the war effort. This year, due to the pandemic, the 94th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will be much smaller, partially pre-recorded, and only viewable on television. If you’re yearning for the traditional parade, you can see it in two Christmas movies: “Miracle on 34th Street” from 1947 and the 1994 remake.
The story is simple yet charming. When a department store parade’s Santa Claus gets drunk, a white-bearded man in the crowd is hired to replace him. His employers don’t realize that he is perfect as Kris Kringle because he believes he really is Santa Claus!
