I wasn’t going to send an email today.

It’s Thanksgiving.

Your inbox is exploding with Black Friday / Cyber Monday shit.

And frankly, I wanted to take the day off. 🤷 

But after the morning I’ve had, I felt moved to write this. ❤️ 

Don’t rain on my parade

If you tuned into NBC this morning, you probably saw a very wet Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Welp. I was there.

Despite the many years I’ve lived in NYC, this was the first time I’ve ever attended the parade.

I’m not a fan of crazy crowds. 🙄 

And like Times Square on New Year’s Eve, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is something that locals generally avoid.

But my husband and I were offered “VIP” access (a private pen on the parade route) that just so happened to be located a half a block from our apartment.

So of course we accepted that invitation, and had been looking forward to it for weeks.

Then, as it became clear that the weather would be rather undesirable, we lowered our expectations.

But despite the freezing cold rain, I can’t remember the last time I felt more joyful.

The Merry Marshal

Shortly before the parade arrived at our intersection, one of the marshals stopped by our pen greet us.

It was absolutely pouring rain. Everyone was soaking wet, and frigidly cold.

But he had a giant smile on his face.

I asked him how long he had been doing this, and he responded that he had been working with the parade for 20 years. He started as a balloon wrangler, and worked his way up to overseeing logistics for the entire damn parade.

He had been on site since 5am for their final logistics meeting, and to secure the parade route.

Rain or shine, he f*cking loved his job. And he was genuinely excited to chat with us about it. I wish I had caught his name.

Then, we felt the rumble of the NYPD motorcycle squad, and we knew the parade had arrived. I felt a childlike excitement, and a smile crept on to my face that remains as I write this.

And thousands of Smiling Strangers

Being front-row at the ground level of the parade was a purely joyful experience.

Over 5,000 volunteers energetically skipped down the street, making eye contact, offering wide authentic smiles, waving, and running over for high-fives and fist-bumps.

I went for the balloons. And yes, they were spectacular.

But despite the miserable weather, I stayed for the thousands of parade volunteers who were genuinely and enthusiastically wishing me a “Happy Thanksgiving”.

They were strangers.

But they made me feel so appreciated —so much a part of a warm and friendly community— that I felt compelled to write this email, telling you all about it.

If you marched in todays Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade — thank you. 🙏 

Thank you for your smiles, your generosity of spirit, and for keeping my heart incredibly warm even as the freezing rain soaked through to my bones.

And I’d like to pass on their timeless message of friendship and community to all of you.

Wherever you are in the world, and whether or not you celebrate Thanksgiving, take a moment to hug your friends and family, and show gratitude to your community.

Thank you for being an important part of mine.

I’m overwhelmingly thankful for you all. 🙏 

Cheers! 🍻

-Kristin :-)

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