For me, the Thanksgiving Day Parade at Macy's in New York, is the big countdown to Christmas. I have it on in my house every year on Thanksgiving morning. 9:00 until 12:00! At the end, I, being the kid that I am, still wave to Santa Claus as he makes his way into the cheering crowds! I just can't help myself! I wondered how long these annual parades at Macy's have been happening and I found out they had their first one in 1924. Now that's a long time! I thought I would share with you some interesting information and pictures I found as I was browsing the internet for all things Christmas.
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| Macy's in Herald Square in 1907. |
Macy's was founded by Rowland Hussey Macy who moved to New York City in 1858 and opened a store named R.H Macy's Dry Goods. Macy's logo has always included a star in some form or another which comes from a tattoo that Mr. Macy had as a teenager when he worked on a Nantucket whaling ship.
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| Founder, Rowland Hussey Macy |
As the business grew, Macy's expanded and used publicity devices such as a store Santa Claus, themed exhibits, and of course their beautiful illuminated window displays to draw in customers. It also offered a money back guarantee.
In 1902, the flagship store moved to Herald Square at 34th st. and Broadway. The store expanded through new construction occupying almost an entire block.
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| Macy's today in New York City. |
Macy's Christmas Parade in 1926.
Macy's in Chicago.
Macy's Ad.
Macy's celebrity "Yes Virginia" commercial. "2008" You will need to pause the music player if you listen to this.
A swirl of children's letters to Santa Claus.
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| Believe Meter. |
I also found some pictures from LIFE Magazine, Issue, December 1948. This is a step back in time and I really enjoyed looking at these pages.
In case you can't read the small print, this man's job every day for 26 yrs., was to slide down Macy's package chutes to make sure no packages were stuck in the chute! He wears out a suit of coveralls every 6 wks. and slides about 2 miles every week! How's that for a job!
If you missed my post on "Yes, Virginia," the video clip, you can find it
Here. In 2009, Macy's and Macy's ad agency JWT produced Yes, Virginia, a CGI animated Christmas special, after pitching and selling the idea to CBS. 1) "Yes, Virginia" reached more than 3.7 million television viewers! 2) Other impacts were that the associated public relations effort resulted in a substantial lift in overall exposure during Macy’s most critical season with 1.84 billion impressions generated, 3) On the night of the show on December 11, 2009, “Yes, Virginia” was Google’s No. 1 and No.4 hottest search terms, 4) “Yes, Virginia” made TV Guide’s coveted Hot List. USA Today said, "Like Santa himself, Virginia should be a welcome Christmas visitor for years to come." Parents Television Council named it the Best TV Show of the Week, and 5) Holiday sales for the five-week period ending January 2, 2010 achieved Macy’s sales goals: $4.4 billion US in sales, 1% growth in same-store sales, and 29% growth of Macys.com.
Since 2009, CBS has been the U.S. TV network broadcaster of Yes, Virginia.
So, that's what I found on my search for Macy's! I do shop at our local Macy's each year for Christmas and all year too. Hope you have a Merry Christmas in July!
