When you leave home and move away, things are just a little different.  One of those things is holidays.  We just left home 3 weeks ago, so we planned to stay here for Thanksgiving.  At the top of our list was the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade followed by some sort of vegetarian feast and then watching the same movie we watch every year – White Christmas.  There were still the moments when you saw pictures on Facebook of friends and family back home all together and it felt a little weird, a little lonely.  Then I saw Jimmy Fallon and I felt much better.

So, the parade.  Make sure you get there early.  Websites recommend you arrive in Manhattan and find our spot on the parade route as early as 6 AM.  We got up at 6:30 and took the 7:20 ferry and arrived to our spot with plenty of time to spare.

We stood on 6th Ave and 49th St so we weren’t at the beginning or at the end, but we were right on the fence and were close enough to a Starbucks in case we needed drink refills or restrooms.  Highlights of the parade included Jimmy Fallon (god I love him), the entire Duck Dynasty clan – my brother was jealous, Spidey’s limp arm and obviously Santa Claus.  Listening to the kids going bananas was priceless.

My only other advice if you are a parade goer anytime in the future, bring a blanket to sit on or keep warm and face North so you can see the balloons coming.  Also, it’s hard to recognize people when they are dressed in winter clothing, so do some reading before going so you know who you’re looking for.  Jimmy Fallon was a total surprise to me and obviously I recognized him instantly, but most other people were a mystery to us.

We had a freaking blast.  We headed to Crumbs Bakery after the parade and then caught the ferry back home to start our meal.  Trader Joe’s to the rescue.  Fake Turkey roast with stuffing, corn pudding, Cauliflower au gratin and cupcakes… too many cupcakes for the two of us.

Leftovers were fabulous and we were lazy the rest of the day.  Watching White Christmas is one of my favorite traditions.  The rest of our weekend was spent working, doing a little shopping and taking a trip to Connecticut just for fun.  Drinking beers with Yale kids in the middle of a Saturday afternoon is pretty entertaining.  We finished the second season of Homeland and went to see Delivery Man at the theaters.  We got our Christmas tree and decorated the apartment.

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with food, food, drinks, family and fun.  Let the Christmas fun begin.

Sami's Shenanigans