Historic Santa Claus/Thanksgiving Parades

by Anita Mae Draper

Sunday, November 17th was the 109th edition of  Toronto's Santa Claus Parade, one of the biggest annual parades in the world, and it happened right in York County - the same county where my Guideposts' A Cup of Christmas Cheer story, Riding on a Christmas Wish, is set. My story takes place in December 1911 and by then, the Eaton's Santa Claus Parade was already in its 6th year.

Like other Christmas/Thanksgiving parades, Toronto's Santa Claus Parade was a department store promotion to show everyone that Santa Claus had arrived in T. Eaton's huge downtown store.

Eaton Christmas Catalogue, 1897
T. Eaton Co. fonds
Reference Code: F 229-231-0-1
Archives of Ontario 

The Ask.com website describes the occasion on December 2, 1905 this way: "In 1905, the Toronto Santa Claus Parade premiered when a single float carrying Santa Claus arrived at Toronto Union Station and made its way to the downtown Eaton's department store where Santa shook hands with Timothy Eaton."

1905 image of Santa Claus making his way to Eaton's 

The above photo is a screenshot from the History of the Toronto Santa Claus Parade Part 1 video available on YouTube at http://youtu.be/_whj_sJ1Evc where you can find the following parts as well. Lots of information, historic and current photos, and archival footage.

According to an internet article at www.citynew.ca  "The parade was the longest in both distance and duration from 1910 to 1912 when the jolly old elf started his journey downtown from Newmarket on a Friday afternoon, stopping overnight in York Mills and then heading down Yonge Street on Saturday afternoon."  Newmarket is 26 miles north of Toronto. Another 12 miles further north and the parade would have started in Keswick where my story is set. 

Toronto Santa Claus Parade, 1918, from the Archives of Ontario

The Archives of Ontario has an online exhibit, Eaton's Santa Clause Parade with images, archival footage, and even a printable copy of the 1957 Eaton's Christmas coloring book.

I found this Toronto Santa Claus Parade 1927  version to be quite funny, although it is silent. It also has some of the large heads mentioned farther down in this post when talking about the Michigan Thanksgiving Parade.




In 1975 while stationed in Kingston, Ontario, I took the short drive west to Toronto to see the Santa Claus Parade live. After years of watching it on TV, it was both a surreal and eclectic moment in time. The crowds were noisier, the floats bigger, and some of the people were downright strange to my naive eyes, although my friend, a native Torontonian, didn't even spare a glance at the cross-dressers. But to actually be there for the annual event was something I treasured. I believe the people who are in attendance for Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade or other huge parades know what I felt that day, especially if they watched it on TV for years first.

Macy's Christmas Parade, as it was first called, began in 1924 where "Employees and professional entertainers marched from 145th Street in Harlem to Macy's flagship store on 34th Street dressed in vibrant costumes...At the end of that first parade, as has been the case with every parade since, Santa Claus was welcomed into Herald Square. At this first parade, however, the Jolly Old Elf was enthroned on the Macy's balcony at the 34th Street store entrance..." (Wikipedia)

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, 1931. Courtesy of nydailynews.com

If you like the above photo, check out more historic photos at Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloons through the decades: From Mickey Mouse to Dora the Explorer

For me, Macy's is synonymous with the stories-high helium-filled balloon floats. While looking for a video of them, I found this historic look at Macy's Thanksgiving Parade 1935 ...

Also in 1924, the J.L. Hudson Company Department Store started a Thanksgiving Day Parade but they put their own twist to it. Wikipedia states, "The idea came from Hudson's display director Charles Wendel after the success of the Canadian Eaton's Santa Claus Parade in Toronto, Ontario. In addition to the usual floats and bands, Wendel obtained large papier-mâché heads similar to those he saw during a recent trip to Europe. The heads are made in Viareggio, Italy, and remain a fixture of the parade to the present."

The Michigan Thanksgiving Parade, 1961. Courtesy of www.geocaching.com

I Love a Parade has a whole bunch of old photographs like the one above of The Michigan Thanksgiving Parade, also known as America's Thanksgiving Parade.

Finally, the distinction for being the oldest U.S. Thanksgiving Parade goes to the Gimbels Thanksgiving Day Parade, now known as 6abc Dunkin' DonutsThanksgiving Day Parade.

As you can see, the common factor in these parades is that they all began as a way to bring buyers into the stores - a tradition which continues in many cases. One thing that has changed are the safety factors especially where animals and helium balloons are used. The mishap list is fun to read, but also scary when you think of what the consequences could have been. And when you put it in perspective, all that commercialism detracts from the real meaning of Christmas. Having said that...

Have you ever been to a Santa Claus or Thanksgiving parade? Share your memories - or wishes. 

If you'd like to read more about A Cup of Christmas Cheer and Guideposts Books, check out these posts:

• How to Stop Worrying
• Norman Vincent Peale's Legacy of Faith
• 1911 Riding on a Christmas Wish
• Riding on a Christmas Wish by Anita Mae Draper
• Release Party for Anita Mae Draper's Riding on a C...

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Anita Mae Draper is retired from the Canadian Armed Forces and lives on the prairie of southeast Saskatchewan, Canada with her hubby of 30 plus years and the youngest of their 4 kids. She writes cowboy stories set in the Old West, and Edwardian stories set in the East.  Anita Mae  semi-finaled in the ACFW's 2011 Genesis contest, and finaled in the Daphne du Maurier, Fool for Love, Duel on the Delta and the Linda Howard Award of Excellence contests.  Anita Mae's short story, Riding on a Christmas Wish is published in A Christmas Cup of Cheer, Guideposts Books, October 2013.  Anita Mae is represented by Mary Keeley of Books & Such Literary Agency. You can find Anita at   http://www.anitamaedraper.com/

Acting Like a Christian

by Jennifer AlLee 

A story hit the news recently about a waitress in Bridgewater, New Jersey, who received a lesson in morality rather than a tip. After serving a family of four, the waitress picked up the $93.55 check to see this written on it: "I'm sorry but I cannot tip because I do not agree with your lifestyle and how you live your life."

In January of this year, a server at a St. Louis Applebee's had a similar experience. This time, a pastor wrote on the check, "I Give God 10 percent. Why do you Get 18?"

Waitress given lifestyle tip, not money tip
From USA Today article

The judgment and blatant lack of respect in these acts is shocking, but I'd be willing to bet that most of us have witnessed similar events. Consider this scenario: You go out to lunch after church with a large group of people. Not only is there a request for seven separate checks, but the guy at the end of the table is paying for his buddy who's sitting way over there, and this woman here needs to make sure that her check includes her husband and two kids, all of whom are sitting in different quadrants of the table. When the server takes the orders, there are multiple additions and subtractions required... no pickles, veggies instead of potatoes, extra ice in the tea, no ice in the root beer... When the food arrives, a few mistakes have been made. Most of the people politely ask for corrections, but a few are downright rude as they point out how they did NOT get what they ordered and send it back. At the end of the meal, (during which the waitress has been moving like her shoes were on fire, refilling drinks, bringing extra napkins and sides of dipping sauce) it's time to pay the bills. Some pay cash, some use a credit card. When it comes to the tips, one woman takes a tract from her purse and tucks it into the bill sleeve. A man who's paying cash leaves exact change, figuring that all the other tippers at the table will make up for him. And the family with the toddler who's been throwing dry cereal on the floor from his highchair the entire time, well, they leave a curt note on the bill about the rainbow tattoo on the server's wrist, and how they can't support someone who mutilates her body.

That may seem overly dramatic, but I've been in group situations that came pretty darn close to it. You know the song that goes, "they'll know we are Christians by our love"? It's true. But what does it tell people when we say we are Christians but our actions are far from loving? Saying "I can't tip you because I don't agree with your lifestyle" is the equivalent of throwing the first stone. What if that waitress had walked up to the family's table, looked them over, then said, "I'm sorry, I can't serve you because I find your nuclear family unit offensive."

It's so easy to forget that we represent Christ to the world. Have you ever been driving and had a car cut you off, and then you see the My Boss is a Jewish Carpenter sticker on the back bumper? Of course, no one is perfect. We all make mistakes. But it takes more energy to be judgmental or rude than it does to act with love and compassion. Not only that, but when we shine the love of Christ on others, it not only fills them, but reflects off them and shines back on us. The more love we give, the more we get. Isn't that a much better way to live?


JENNIFER ALLEE was born in Hollywood, California, and spent her first ten years living above a mortuary one block away from the famous intersection of Hollywood & Vine. Now she lives in the grace-filled city of Las Vegas, which just goes to prove she’s been blessed with a unique life. When she’s not busy spinning tales, she enjoys playing games with friends, attending live theater and movies, and singing at the top of her lungs to whatever happens to be playing on the car radio. Although she’s thrilled to be living out her lifelong dream of being a novelist, she considers raising her son to be her greatest creative accomplishment. She's a member of American Christian Fiction Writers, Romance Writers of America, Christian Authors Network, and the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance. Her novels include The Pastor’s Wife, The Mother Road and A Wild Goose Chase Christmas from Abingdon Press; Diamond in the Rough and Vanishing Act, the first two books in the Charm and Deceit series, from Whitaker House and co-written with Lisa Karon Richardson; and the novella Comfort and Joy in the Christmas anthology, Mistletoe Memories from Barbour.

Weekend Scripture: 1 Cor. 8:3

Shh! I've Got a Secret

by C.J. Chase

Fiction is built around secrets. The characters in thrillers, mysteries, romantic comedies, and pretty much any other genre of commercial fiction have secrets. The surprise of a secret revealed is what keeps us watching the screen or flipping the pages. Consider this iconic scene from one of the most popular movies of all time:

Or how about this one:

But it’s not just the “very bad man” who has secrets in fiction. Even the heroes of fiction have secrets. In fact, every superhero--Superman, Spiderman, Batman--has a secret identity.

Indeed, for a new writer of fiction, learning what to hold back and when to reveal a secret is a skill that takes study and practice. As they say, timing is everything. Hold back too much early in a story, and the reader gets confused. Reveal a secret too soon, and the story loses suspense. Many times, the revelation is a turning point of the entire story.

Unfortunately, trying to keep sinful secrets is a real-life "skill" we work on developing almost from the moment we can talk. 

     Mom -- "Johnny*, who broke the window?"

     Johnny -- "Uh, I don't know."

(*Name changed to protect the guilty.)

And while our early efforts often fail (somehow, Mom always saw through the "Uh, I don't know" lie), we keep studying and practicing until we perfect the ability to hide the truth behind a curtain.

Why do we expend so much effort to keep these secrets?

Sometimes, simple cowardice is the explanation, such as when we fear to share what we (claim to) believe. We don't trust God to take care of us. In Genesis 12, God called Abram to leave all and follow him. And Abram did. Yet only a few verses later--still in the very same chapter even (Genesis 12)--we find Abram telling his wife to lie. They had traveled to Egypt to escape a famine. Abram decided his very beautiful wife would be too much of a temptation for the Egyptians, so he instructed her to say they were brother and sister lest the Egyptians kill him. Fortunately, God was looking out for poor Sarai, even if her husband was more concerned with his own skin.

In a related way, we sometimes want to preserve our reputations for having it all under control--our marriages, our children, our finances, our homes. We want people to believe that magazine quality image we project to the world, to think that if they walk into our homes, they'll see a Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval above the fireplace. Yes, look upon me, ye lesser mortals. I am a person worthy of emulating. Consider the story of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5. They sold a piece of property and donated the proceeds to the church. Well, actually, they donated some of the proceeds while telling everyone they had offered all. It was the lie that angered God, and he struck them down immediately. Fortunately for our sakes, God seldom employs such a rapid and permanent solution to those times when we put on our superChristian masks to hide the sinful secrets in our hearts.

Often, however, our efforts to keep sinful secrets are directly proportional to our desire to avoid the consequences of sins or even to keep committing the same sins over and over, consequence free. David was a man after God's own heart, and yet, his determination to hide his adultery with Bathsheba culminated in murder.

And that's the problem with "secret" sins. It takes more and more effort--and often more and more sin--to keep a secret, secret. Those pesky secrets have a way of coming out in the end. "For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil." (Ecclesiastes 12:14) 

Did you ever wonder just when Joseph's brothers finally confessed to their father Jacob that, oh, by the way, Joseph really wasn't killed by a wild animal; we sold him as a slave? Did they hold that secret for a couple of decades until the circumstances surrounding a certain trip to Egypt forced them to reveal what happened? Or did guilt eat away at them in the meantime until one of them finally came clean? Did the brothers look askance at each other during those intervening years, wondering who would be the first to crack?

I'm fond of saying that while conspiracy theories are a stretch in real life, they make for really great books. (And they're especially fun to write.) But it's only when those secrets become known that the characters are free to grow.

Do you have any favorite fictional secrets? Any scenes from movies or books or television where a secret was revealed and caught you by surprise? 

After leaving the corporate world to stay home with her children, C.J. Chase quickly learned she did not possess the housekeeping gene. She decided writing might provide the perfect excuse for letting the dust bunnies accumulate under the furniture. Her procrastination, er, hard work paid off in 2010 when she won the Golden Heart for Best Inspirational Manuscript and sold the novel to Love Inspired Historicals. Her current release, The Reluctant Earl, is now available  in online bookstores. You can visit C.J.'s cyber-home (where the floors are always clean) at www.cjchasebooks.com