Planning, planning, planning. Being prepared reduces anxiety levels enormously; it is when we are frazzled, harried, hurried, or torn in eight directions at once that stress overtakes us. To keep this from happening, sit down well in advance of Thanksgiving and plan your guest list and menu. If you tend to become easily stressed (and who doesn't around the holidays?), you may want to think about paring down your guest list.

If this isn't a possibility, it's time to delegate and plan your dishes accordingly. Instead of laboriously making portobello mushrooms stuffed with pine nuts and goat cheese, make a big pot of creamy garlic mashed potatoes. Guests will still love them, and you can make a large quantity easily. You don't have to write your menu from a gourmet, haute cuisine restaurant; simple favorites will do just fine. Better yet, have guests bring side dishes. You can be in charge of the turkey or ham, and your guests can bring the side dishes, appetizers, and desserts. Delegate; your local guests will be more than happy to bring food. And if you have to, buy a pumpkin pie instead of making one. It'll be fine.

Enlist family or a close friend to help you clean the day before your Thanksgiving feast. Children can pick up toys, straighten out rooms, and maybe even man the vacuum. This will leave you free to cook and perhaps even enjoy your guests on Thanksgiving. This is a great time to delegate as well: just because your great-grandmother single handedly cooked Thanksgiving differ for 25 people while making crafts and warming apple cider for everyone doesn't mean you have to. Get your spouse, children, and friends to help you prepare foods and get your house ready for guests. If they're eating with you, they can very well help out! And they will probably be very happy to do so. And if not, you can bribe them with pre-Thanksgiving treats.

Preparing the meal is not stressful when you're at home with the leisure to do it yourself. But when guests start arriving and your aunt starts looking over your shoulder and giving you tips about your gravy, this is when it starts to get a little too warm in the kitchen. To avoid some of this stress, give your aunt – and anyone else who is dishing out advice – jobs. People can peel, chop, grate, slice, or wash to help you out. Every chef needs prep cooks, so don't be afraid to delegate tasks.

If there are guests who you know will be more hindrance than help in the kitchen, create other jobs for them. Maybe someone can help the kids make crafts or read them books to keep them out of the kitchen. Maybe you can set up some board games or put on the game in the living room. Maybe you could send people out to gather leaves and acorns for a centerpiece or let them paint gourds. They'll feel helpful and they will not be underfoot. Let others know that they should relax, have a drink, read, watch television, or visit with other guests without feeling obligated to do anything. If all else fails, set a tray of holiday chocolates in another room and run for the kitchen.

If you have children at your gathering, give them a break. They pick up on the excited or stressed atmosphere and act accordingly. If they cannot sit through an entire adult meal, set a kids' table. Let them get up before the adults and go watch a movie or set up a game in the living room for them. Don't be too rigid about rules today – letting it slide will help alleviate a lot of stress, and life can go back to normal tomorrow.

Most of all, give yourself a break. Remind yourself that you are thankful for all of these people in your home and for the food which you are preparing. One step at a time; you will get there, people will eat, and Thanksgiving will be a success.

America’s best loved parade, The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, is now a historical icon of American culture. Most people cannot imagine Thanksgiving Day without it. It’s easily recognized as the official kickoff to the holiday season. Americans young and old eagerly await the parade that brings larger than life helium balloons, Santa, and millions of audience members to the streets of New York.

How did this tradition get started? In 1924, Macy’s was already a leading department store in Manhattan. As a way for its immigrant workers to celebrate their new American culture, Macy’s organized the first parade that year. It was originally called the Macy’s Christmas Parade until its name was changed officially to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. It is so well-known now that people often refer to it as the Macy’s Day Parade.

That first year there were no oversized balloons marching down the sidewalks. Instead, live animals were borrowed from the Central Park Zoo. For various reasons, including the safety issues of parading live animals, the parade began to feature balloons in 1927. Goodyear Rubber and Tire made the balloons, the first of which was Felix the Cat. Balloons are inflated the night before the parade outside of the Museum of Natural History, and the public is invited to watch.

The parade started at 145^th Street in Harlem and marched its way to the Macy’s building at 34^th Street. In 2009, the parade route was changed to eliminate Broadway, where it has marched every year, so that more viewers can see the parade. Millions line the streets to watch as floats adorned with roses and manned by celebrities and animated characters march past them. Each year bands compete to be awarded the honor of marching in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Professional athletes, starlets, Broadway stars, and ordinary people march in the parade, many of them Macy’s employees.

At the end of every parade since the first, the parade ends with a big wave from Santa.

The parade became a permanent fixture in American history after it was featured in the 1947 film Miracle on 34^th Street. Actual footage of the 1946 parade was made a part of the film which forever immortalized the festivities.

The parade has run every year since 1924 except from 1942-1944 when the parade was canceled due to WWII. The rubber and helium necessary for the balloons was needed for the war effort. The parade was back on again for 1945. In 2006, parade organizers, noting a world-wide shortage of helium, proposed excluding the balloons from the parade, but public outcry got the balloons back up again. From that point, fewer balloons have been a part of the parade.

Since 2002, the balloons and floats have made their way to Orlando, Florida after the parade where they are marched down the streets of Universal Orlando Resort. Guests are given the opportunity to be balloon handlers for a day.

Each year a different character is featured in balloon form as an older one is retired. Broadway shows are also featured complete with the stars and performers from the production.

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is a piece of Americana recognized and cherished by more people than any other parade.

New For 2009!

We offer a wide range of Thanksgiving Gifts & Baskets that offer a perfect way to thank the host/hostess for entertaining you and your family during the Thanksgiving holiday.  Our gifts start at just $15 so be sure to check them out!