Everybody Loves a Parade . . . or not! (Food and Travel)

There are always options in life you can take. Take the wrong one, and you may think you’ve made the wrong decision. Like the Christmas classic, “It’s a Wonderful Life”, Jimmy Stewart ponders how life would be if he made a different choice.

Similarly, each Thanksgiving, the millions of people who usher in the holiday season with turkey and cranberries have to make choices. A choice between having Thanksgiving with relatives they see once a year and a trip into the city to see the “Big Parade” in New York City.

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade features canned Broadway music, character balloons that are tethered to their volunteers and high school bands from around the country.

While approximately 2.5 million parade enthusiasts brave the chilly November Manhattan weather to catch a live glimpse of the Snoopy balloon, over 40 million people watch this parade on television each year as the traditional sofa riding marathon goes on and the scent of roasting turkey gives you hope there is light at the end of the tunnel.

As most of you do, if you choose to ride out the Macy’s Parade from your sofa, you’ll recall the drama and suspense this choice provides. Thanksgiving with relatives has always been a kind of blood sport for some–planning and preparation are key.

First, you’ll need the Cliffs Notes prior to this get together from a family elder who knows what relatives will be in attendance and what the latest hot topics are in the family: which kids have flunked out of medical school and are now traveling the world to get it back together, who’s divorcing who and what subjects not to bring up in front of Uncle Ernie.

Next, if you decide it’s safe to camp out on the sofa watching the big parade, you’ll have to remember when to diplomatically leave the room when the remote control battle heats up between the jocks who want to watch the football games and the traditionalists who demand watching the big Parade.

If you are one of the 2.5 million who choose to see the parade live in New York City, then you have your own challenges. Don’t think that just because you escaped the political battles of your family, you are “scott-free” absconding away to the cold streets of Manhattan.

Remember, if you choose seeing the parade live, Global Warming has forgotten this day for the past decade. Expect chilled rain, ice, snow and a nasty combination of all three. Dressing in layers may sound smart, but when each layer becomes soaked, what protection will they really provide?

Lines start forming at 5am for the best viewing spots and tolls and parking can run you over $50. And lucky you, the tiny spot you have staked out to see this famous parade may be cursed by someone sick with flatulence–too late now to find another spot.

So maybe your choices aren’t looking too great at this point. It may be a decision between the lesser of two evils.  But truth be told, when Uncle Ernie has passed away, the next Thanksgiving without him, the tales of his grumpiness have morphed into family myths. You’ll remember his “snarky” parade commentary as more witty than bitter.

Similarly, if you decide to join the parade live, the gassy man next to you will provide memories and giggles for a lifetime.

This Thanksgiving, channel your inner Jimmy Stewart. Learn from his traumatic time travels that much can be learned by your decisions in life, both good and bad.

Parade Details:
9am, Thursday, November 27, 2008
Official Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade Website:
www.macys.com/campaign/parade/parade.jsp

COOK’S NOTES:
To help make both choice feel like the right one, there is one piece of advice to be given. Apply alcohol. Yes, a warm mulled wine will produce happy and bright memories for all. Sip from a mug or flask of your choosing!

SPICED MULLED WINE

One bottle of red wine, preferably Burgundy (750 ml)
1 cup apple cider
2 cinnamon barks
1 teaspoon allspice
5 whole cloves
1 teaspoon cardamom
1 orange with peel, sliced
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of cayenne

Heat all ingredients in a saucepan and simmer for fifteen minutes. Pour wine mixture through a strainer into a thermos or large bowl.

–Shelly Connors, Red Editorial Staff.