I Spent My Whole Life Dreaming of Holding a Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Balloon. I Finally Achieved It. It Was Nothing Like I Expected.

"To be a balloon handler in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade-much like trying to be anything in New York City-you have to know somebody. Since the parade's start in 1924, the positions that guide enormous helium-filled balloons through Manhattan have been reserved for Macy's colleagues, their friends and families, and what the company's website calls those "who have a relationship" to the parade. While I certainly have a strong attachment to the parade, I don't have a relationship to Macy's."

"My family watched the annual event from our living room in North Carolina. At the time, my understanding of New York City was based on Home Alone 2: Lost in New York and the parade. The niceness of giant balloons filling the busiest city in America affected me. For the 71 st parade, however, winds reached 43 mph and wreaked havoc on the balloons."

Balloon handler positions in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade have been reserved since 1924 for Macy's colleagues, friends, families, and those with a relationship to the parade. A child's fascination with the parade began in 1997 when 43 mph winds caused major balloon failures: the six-story-tall Cat in the Hat struck a lamppost, and Pink Panther and Barney were forcibly deflated. The handlers' efforts to control the balloons drew admiration. Years later, after moving to New York City, that person attended the parade annually alone and sent photos of Snoopy and other floats to family as a way to stay connected.

Read at Slate Magazine