Yesterday, I had the absolute joy of visiting Santaland at Macy’s, and let me tell you, it was nothing short of magical!
This enchanting wonderland is a delight for kids and adults alike, bringing holiday cheer to everyone.
Did you know that children first met Santa at Macy’s way back in 1862?
For decades, Macy’s was known as “The Headquarters of Santa Claus” and later dubbed “The Home of Santa Claus.”
Most of us always look forward to Santa’s arrival during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade—it’s a tradition that started in 1924 and charmed its way onto our screens in 1948!
This year, my friend Nolan is lending a helping hand to Santa by keeping track of all the good boys and girls, snapping photos, and listening to their wish lists right in Santaland on the 8th Floor of Macy’s in Herald Square.
Nolan is the perfect helper, bringing his big heart and creative spirit to life, thanks to his background as a former Cruise Ship entertainer!
While we waited in line, we were completely mesmerized by the sights and sounds of Magicland.
The dancing ballerina pigs, the twinkling toy trains, the festive scenery, and the cheerful elves (not to mention Mrs. Claus) made the wait fly by in the most delightful way!
Thanks to the beloved 1947 film “Miracle on 34th Street” featuring the fabulous Natalie Wood, Macy’s is now the second most popular spot for Santa, right after the North Pole!
If you’re thinking about visiting Santaland, just a little heads up—be sure to make your reservation online in advance. You won’t want to miss this holiday adventure!
What a Day! I had grandstand tickets for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. It was spectacular!!
My day started at 4:30 AM. The line to get into the grandstands starts at 5:30 AM and closes at 7:30 AM. However, there’s no guarantee you will get in so the early you get there, the better! We didn’t want to take any chances because the weather forecast predicted a sunny, warm day. We arrived at 6:30 AM.
Our tickets for the 71st Street entrance. There’s another entrance on either 77th or 79th Street. Several people in line had the wrong tickets for our entrance and had to hustle up ten blocks to get in. No, we were not seated across from Macy’s flagship store in Herald Square on 34th Street. Grandstand seats, are about thirty blocks uptown and run from 79th Street to 65th Street on Central Park West.
You had to show identification and vaccination to get past one of two checkpoints. Once inside, you’re directed to your seats and then you have about two hours to kill before the parade starts. The people sitting around us were so friendly and nice. We started chatting about every topic from A to Z that didn’t include politics(!) and the time flew by.
There’s so much to love about what I consider to be one of the best art parades. Yes, I said ‘art parade.’ Since 1969, a talented group of makers called “The Balloonatics” has designed the floats and balloons at the Macy’s Parade Studio in New Jersey.
The first parade featured live animals and nursery rhyme-themed floats such as Little Red Riding Hood, the Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe, and Little Miss Muffet.
The amazing, colorful giant character balloons were introduced in 1928 to replace live zoo animals.
The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company provided the balloons’ material from the 1920s through 1980. Macy’s balloons stay thanks to 12,000 cubic feet of helium afloat. Each balloon gets pumped up on the eve of the parade.
When I first moved to the city, you could walk up and touch the balloons lying in the middle of the streets the night before the parade. Back in 1995, the night before the parade felt more like a block party. Today, seeing the balloons the night before is much more organized. The Inflation Station featuring all the balloons wraps around the perimeter of the Natural History Museum, and crowds line up to see them. It’s still fun! I have visited the Inflation station many times because there’s nothing quite like seeing these colorful, gigantic characters in person. The size and scope of each one are jaw-dropping.
The balloons are typically deflated behind the Macy’s store on 7th Avenue. The process involves:
Unzipping them to let out the helium.
Lying on top of the balloon.
Rolling up the balloon to squeeze out any remaining air.
A skilled hand can deflate a balloon in 15 minutes or less.
This year’s parade featured 15 giant character balloons, 28 floats, 36 novelty and heritage inflatables, more than 800 clowns, ten marching bands and nine performance groups, and, of course, Santa Claus.
The new balloon giants included Ada Twist, Scientist; Grogu (so-called Baby Yoda from the “The Mandalorian”); and the Pokémon characters Pikachu and Eevee.
Our seats were so close to the giant character balloons, floats, marching bands, and performers. It took your breath away. It was incredible to see the crew of handlers and pilots work to stop the giant balloons from fishtailing into buildings and trees due to gusts of wind. We sat eye to eye with all the performers, many of them on stilts, which kept the energy up between the balloons and floats.
Unfortunately, I have always been too far back from the action to see these hardworking performers doing their best to spread holiday cheer in the past years. But every year I attend, no matter how far back in the crowd I am, I enjoy the experience! It never disappoints. Every time I see Santa Clause I become a child again!!
The Macy’s volunteers, participants, and spectators were friendly, kind, and upbeat. It’s one of those memories that make you love living in NYC.
A typical Thanksgiving meal contains more than 3,000 calories and is high in fat and carbohydrates. What does it do to your diabetes self-care plan?
A feast can be challenging for people with diabetes who are trying to manage blood glucose levels and weight but with careful planning, you can make healthy choices that fit into your diabetes meal plan and enjoy this wonderful celebration with friends and family.
Make your day about togetherness and family fun, and not just about the food by adding some exercise, like taking your dog for a walk, to your Thanksgiving Day celebration.
“Physical activity is the currency with which you pay for food,” says Pamela Peeke, M.D., author ofFight Fat After 40(Penguin USA, May 2001)
My friend and colleague, Debby Kay, who is a pioneer in scent detection work for over 40 years and a member of The Association of Professional Dog Trainers offers these tips for Turkey Day walks with the dog:
Keep up the pace, most people walk too slow to make the walk enjoyable for their dogs. Dogs are anxious to get out and see what’s around the next corner so keep your pace brisk, even for the little guys. No stopping along the way though, keep moving.
Walk to an area where the dog can relieve themselves, stop there and give a release word(s) like “free” or “okay get busy” When they are finish resume your walk. Keeping the walk and potty time separate will make for an enjoyable and productive walk for you both.
If you see another dog that is reactive to your dog or your dog is reactive to another dog, turn around and go in the opposite direction or cross the street. Have treats in your pocket and distract your dog by asking him to look up at you while you are walking away, once he is looking at you and walking nicely with you THEN treat him but keep on moving.
Walk with a buddy to keep it more interesting for everyone.
Don’t over do the walk. 15 minutes is good for little dogs, 30 minutes is about right for medium to larger dogs.
If there is ice on the walkways or salts have been put down where you are walking, put those booties on your pup’s feet to protect him from chemical burns and potential poisoning from absorbing things through their pads.
THANKSGIVING TIP: Let your family members know they can support you and your diabetes wellness by walking around the block with you after dinner.
In celebration of National Diabetes Awareness month, for November only, Debby Kay has a special offer for all the people struggling to train their own dogs to be alert dogs. She is discounting a bundle of all her materials for this training by 15%.
You will get Debby Kay’s starter Snoopers kit for collecting samples and training aids, her handbook on training alert dogs AND the DVD that goes with that book AND finally the complete scent training course in a two DVD set, separately these items sell for $345 but with this discount you can get the complete set for the low price of $292.82 + S&H.
Debby teaches Super Sniffer®workshops for amateur dog owners and professional trainers alike.She has set up several non profit organizations worldwide for Diabetes Alert Dogs and her Sweet Snoopers program is now in 22 countries around the world helping people manage this disease better through the use of trainedalert dogs.
TUNE IN: Debby Kay joins us for December’s Diabetes Late Nite on Tuesday, December 12, 2017, 6 – 7:30 PM, EST. We will be featuring songs from the new Elvis Presley Christmas album with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. This wonderful album features his classic hits and covers Blue Christmas, Winter Wonderland, Silent Night and The First Noel.
The album brings together the legend’s yuletide performances from his 1957 Christmas Album and Elvis Sings the Wonderful World of Christmas from 1971, re-imagined with new arrangements performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
A deluxe edition of the album, containing four bonus tracks (new symphonic versions of material from Elvis’ Peace In The Valley EP) will follow shortly after November 24.
