Christmas in New York City: Macy’s Parade

As Santa Claus became an important part of American Christmas folklore he was drafted into the service of many commercial ventures. For example, he plays an important role in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, begun in 1924. Macy’s started the parade as a means of attracting shoppers to its stores and extending the Christmas shopping season as far back as Thanksgiving. The classic Christmas movie Miracle on 34th Street (1947) boosted the parade’s fame by showing shots of the parade during the movie’s opening scenes. Nationwide television coverage followed. In this manner the parade worked its way from an event of local importance to a national icon of the start of the holiday season. The parade’s trademark feature consists of a series of enormous balloons in a wide variety of fun shapes, including those of cartoon characters and animals. Traditionally Santa Claus brings up the rear of the parade. The parade begins at 77th Street and Central Park West and ends at Macy’s, located in Herald Square at the intersection of Sixth Avenue and 34th Street. For New Yorkers, Santa’s arrival in Herald Square kicks off the start of the holiday shopping season.