Fantasy vs...

Fantasy vs……

By Drew Bankston

This past week has been, to me, something out of a fairytale.

Monday morning at 3:30am I caught a shuttle, went to the airport and flew to New York. I had never been to New York, and more importantly, I had never been involved in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade.

The first night we were all treated to a wonderful reception dinner. It was something that would have only happened to celebrities or dignitaries. It was something that made me feel extremely special. I’m not certain that anything in my life between now and the time I leave this world will ever be as special and exciting as that dinner and what was to follow.

After the dinner, we all went to our first rehearsal. We sang our song for the first time and it was beautiful. Still, we rehearsed for three hours and then ended the day around midnight.

The following day started with an early breakfast, more rehearsing and then lunch. I took that afternoon to catch-up on some sleep, a visit to Macy’s on Herald Square and then another three hours of rehearsing.

On Wednesday, we had our final rehearsal in the morning. I took the afternoon to walk around the town. I saw the parade balloons being inflated. I saw Broadway. I saw Times Square. I walked through Central Park and saw the memorial to John Lennon. Then I walked back to the hotel and turned in for an early night.

The following day was the parade. Breakfast at 4am. Off to another hotel to change into our costumes. 6am and on buses to take us to our float where we learned our positions, practiced our songs a few more times and then waited for the parade to begin.  We sang our two main songs, “We Wish you a Merry Christmas” and “Deck the Halls” over and over again along the parade route but I didn’t mind. Seeing the looks on the faces of the children and the adults, the smiles when I would look at or point at anyone made me want to continue singing.

We sang our premier song in front of Macy’s on 34^th street and even though I was on the backside of the tree, it was still incredible and amazing.

After the parade ended, we all went back to the hotel and returned our costumes, walked back to the Pub where we shared a Thanksgiving lunch and then I was off to the airport.

It was a whirlwind visit but I made some amazing friends and still communicate with them via Facebook today. We all were involved in a historical event. The first ever Macy’s singing Christmas Tree float. They might do more, but none of the future floats will be the first. This week will be back to the normal and back to the old grindstone. I was given a few things to remember my experience with, and I will never forget. In fact, my mind will probably embellish the events of the week as time goes by. I will never forget my experiences there and how they have changed my life and how I think about it. I’ll share more with you in upcoming blogs, but for now, just know that my life will not be the same, but it will be better.