As far as I know, I have only missed two Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parades–2004, when I spent the holiday at Disney World, and 1997 when I was in Disneyland. (Do you see a pattern here?) The parade (specifically Santa’s arrival in Herald Square) marks the beginning of the holiday season. I’ve been one of those obnoxious Christmastime lovers as long as I can remember, so the official start of the season is something I look forward to every year.

When I was a kid, I remember camping out to play with my toys in front of the TV and watch the parade while my mom cooked, and we waited for dinner time company to come. It was like Saturday morning cartoons, but much more special because it was once-a-year. Sometimes, I was allowed to help with cooking. I can remember years when our whole family (except for my dad, who was probably outside swearing at the Christmas lights) gathered around the counter to tear up bread for the stuffing. This is not the most exciting task, so we would watch the parade on a little kitchen TV.

As a teenager and young adult, I started taking on more responsibility in the kitchen. I have a sister, but she is much better at cleaning up than cooking, so it was usually just me and my mom, and cooking while we watched the parade is now one of my favorite memories of spending time together. Even after I got my own place, I would go over early in the day to watch the parade and help with the cooking. We especially enjoyed getting to see performances from new Broadway shows, since it takes awhile for the touring companies to get to Seattle.

In 2003, I moved to Miami for work, and that was the first of three Thanksgivings spent away from home (as much as I missed being home, a mere 4 day weekend does not justify a 7 hour flight). Having the parade on in my apartment, knowing the folks at home would see the same broadcast, made me feel a little less homesick.

I’ve moved back home now, but not before my mom passed away quite suddenly during New Year’s of 2006. This will be our second Thanksgiving without her, and although we are going to my aunt’s this year and will undoubtedly have a lovely Thanksgiving, it’s hard not to miss my mom and the traditional Thanksgivings we used to host at my parents’ house.

I am in charge of pie this year, and I turned the parade on while I was baking. As I splattered apple slices and flour all over my kitchen, of course I had the parade on. I set down the spatula to pay close attention to my favorite parts. The balloons and floats that I remember from when I was a kid, like Snoopy the turkey float, and the Broadway numbers. (I really want to see Xanadu, but man, the girl playing Kira makes some scary crazy eyes. What’s with that?) The parade is, and always has been a little cheesy. Those Camp Broadway kids in the beginning were straining my adorableness tolerance level, the celebrity performances are mostly pretty corny, and the commentators scripts need to be purged of puns. But there’s something comforting about the fact that the tone of the parade has been the same for at least 30 years.

I know I’m not the only person for whom the holidays are a little bittersweet now. Our lives go through changes, and as much as we might want to stop it, or at least be able to go back to the way things were on the holidays, we can’t. But I feel like I can get a little piece of that childhood Thanksgiving excitement by watching the parade every year. It’s the television equivalent of comfort food.

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Amy Kane spends as much quality time with her television as possible, when she’s not busy at her day job as a cube dweller.