Now don’t lose all hope just yet. Although you might have heard that the 2020 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is canceled, that isn’t entirely true. There will actually be a Macy’s presentation this Thanksgiving from 9 a.m. – noon on NBC. In fact, it will include Broadway performers, floats, and celebrities.

The Macy’s Thanksgiving special will look very different this year.

However, to be transparent, it won’t be an actual parade. In the words of NBC, it will be a “telecast.” Performances, most of which will be taped, will take place in a single location. No college or high school marching bands will perform. Parade participants will be decreased by 75%.

But what do you expect? As the pandemic continues to rage, precautions must be taken. A 2.5 mile parade lined with thousands and thousands of people isn’t conducive to crushing the curve. In my opinion, I am grateful that there will at least be an attempt to serve up a small slice of the Americana that has defined the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade over the years.

You won’t see shots like this on Thursday.

With that said, that small slice won’t be enough to fill the bellies of everyone, including yours truly. Watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is a major tradition of our little family and viewing a dramatically scaled down version won’t exactly satisfy our appetites. Luckily, watching this year’s telecast won’t be the only way to get our fill.

What happened during the summer when all professional sports leagues went on hiatus? The networks showed games from prior seasons. ESPN aired different NBA Finals games from the past couple decades, Root Sports showed some of the more memorable games in franchise history of the Seattle Mariners, and CBS showed old Masters’ tournaments. For some people, these retro competitions were appreciated. For others, it just rubbed salt into their wounds even more that they couldn’t watch the current version of their favorite team’s roster.

If you are one of those people who could still get your sports fix by going down memory lane, may I make a suggestion? Do the same thing with the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Go back a few years and you can watch Ronald fly down the streets of New York.

You can go on YouTube and pull up the parade from pretty much any year you want. If there was a certain year that had a particularly memorable show, re-watch it on Thursday. Or, just choose a parade based on a year that is significant to you for reasons other than the annual Macy’s showcase. If both of those options fail, simply place slips of paper with years written on them into a hat and randomly draw one. Whatever year you draw is the parade that you watch.

Believe it or not, watching a Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade of the past really isn’t that bad. How do I know? Well, I have done it of course.

Watching a parade of the past will still deliver plenty of Americana but you will also get heavy doses of history, nostalgia, and Matt Lauer. Trust me, watching a Macy’s “re-run” will still get you in the Thanksgiving spirit and you can even fast forward through the commercials. On second thought, watching the throwback ads can be thoroughly entertaining as well.

Santa will make an appearance during the NBC telecast but it won’t be his usual triumphant arrival.

Prior to watching this year’s Macy’s telecast, I recommend watching one of the actual parades from a previous year. Whether that means watching the 2007 version on Thanksgiving Eve or going back 30 years and watching the 1990 parade on Thanksgiving morning, pull up one of the classics on your TV and enjoy. Because honestly, how can you eat turkey if you didn’t see Santa’s triumphant arrival into Herald Square? Don’t Blink.