The holiday season always brings a familiar merriment to an old geezer like me. The chill in the air, the crackle of the fire, it all brings me back to my youth, when life stretched out before me endlessly and hope abounded. But lately, I ‘ve noticed there’s a little “something something” missing from the way we do it now, you know? I guess what I’m saying is I miss the good old days when a Macy’s Day Parade balloon would kill someone every once in a while.
Sure, we’ve kept many traditions alive over the years, but in another sense, we’ve lost what made those traditions special and exciting! You see, the Macy’s Day Parade didn’t used to just be a spectacle you’d watch on your TV screen or via the iPhone app (which my son has tried to explain to me countless times) – it used to be something you experienced in person and with the slight threat that it might be the last thing you ever see. That’s what made the holidays bright!
Time is fleeting, and there’s nothing like a 70-foot Snoopy balloon barreling toward your face at breakneck speed because it popped on a nearby lamppost to remind you to cherish the little things in life. A yearly near-death experience just puts it all in perspective, and I fear for this generation’s children who don’t get to experience that kind of terror. I mean, joy!
Yes, the balloons still inspire shock and awe in passersby, but that simply can’t compare to the adrenaline rush of the “Cat in the Hat Incident of 1997,” when four were injured – one critically – by a falling Cat in the Hat balloon, sending shockwaves of criticism towards New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and inspiring balloon reform for years to come. Balloons just don’t send people into month-long comas the way they used to, and I say that’s bad!
To me, the Macy’s Day Parade was always more than just a fun tradition. It was a sign of the times. It was a reminder to live life to the fullest, lest it be cut short by a Barney balloon on the corner of 72nd and Central Park West. And the lack of serious bodily injury at modern parades just doesn’t sit well in this old man’s heart. At least we can still deep fry a frozen turkey, though!
