Imagine waking up in the morning and looking out your window to golden brown and orange leaves falling from the trees. The sky is clear and you walk to the living room. Your family is cozied up on the couch. They are watching the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade.

The parade began in 1924 and is held annually in New York City. It is the second longest-running parade in the United States. Each year, many families travel to watch the parade in person, while others just watch from their couches at home.

“My earliest memory [of watching the parade] was going to it when I was 6 or 7. I wouldn’t recommend going to it, though, because it is cold and crowded and you don’t really have a good view,” McCloskey said.

There are some differing opinions about the parade, specifically on who should be hosting it each year. Junior Guillherme Bonzi believes that there should be a change in who hosts since the parade could benefit from being hosted by companies with younger audiences.

“I think Nike or Adidas should take over instead of Macy’s because they have been there too long,” Bonzi said.

Floats in the parade can include Toys R Us’ Geoffrey’s Dazzling Dance Party, Macy’s People of First Light, Pinkfong’s Baby Shark, Netflix’s Supersized Slumber and about thirty more elaborate floats to entertain the crowd. The parade always ends with Santa Claus as a transition from Thanksgiving to Christmas.

This provides a warm welcome to the holiday season. Many families usually have traditions on their Thanksgiving; some traditions go beyond that of watching the parade.

“My typical Thanksgiving day starts with visiting my relatives in Boston, eating turkey and watching football games… I have heard of the Thanksgiving Parade, but I have never watched it with my family,” junior Ben Kim said.

Macy’s has an extension on its website that shows the tentative route, lineup and even the shop, which includes goodies such as limited-edition gifts, toys, clothing and festive items for the holiday season.