macys parade | It's Christmas 365

For 40 years, Pittsburghers have watched Eat’n Park’s Christmas Star get a special lift to the top of the tree.

Like the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and the lighting of the Horne’s tree Downtown, the Eat’n Park Christmas Star is among those traditional holiday things that help us get into the holiday spirit.

The story of the star dates to early 1982 when then-Eat’n Park CEO Jim Broadhurst asked the company’s outside ad agency to create a holiday message that would “last for 20 years.”

After about 30 ideas, the Christmas Star was born. And it’s lasted far longer than anticipated.

“The idea of the relationship between the tree and the star illustrates an enduring holiday lesson – by helping one another, you’re making the world a brighter place,” Eat’n Park says on its site.

Of course, you can see the commercial whenever you’d like on YouTube.

But if you’re in Pittsburgh, Eat’n Park says to watch the programs listed below for the beloved commercial.

WPXI
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade – Nov. 24, 9 a.m.
Christmas at Rockefeller Center – Nov. 30, 8 p.m.
Dolly Parton’s Christmas of Many Colors – Dec. 23, 9 p.m.
It’s a Wonderful Life – Dec. 24, 8 p.m.

KDKA

Frosty & Frosty Returns – Nov. 25, 8 p.m.
A Christmas Proposal – Nov. 25, 9 p.m.
Rudolph – Dec. 10, 8 p.m.
National Christmas Tree Lighting – Dec. 11, 8 p.m.

WTAE

Love Actually – Nov. 29, 8 p.m.
The Great Christmas Light Fight – Dec. 5, 8 p.m.
Santa Claus is Coming to Town – Dec. 20, 8 p.m.
A Very Backstreet Holiday – Dec. 20, 10 p.m.
Home Alone – Dec. 24, 8 p.m.

FOX

The Masked Singer Christmas Special – Nov. 30 & Dec. 7, 8 p.m.
Lego Masters: Celebrity Holiday Bricktacular – Dec. 19 & 20, 8 p.m.

WQED

WQED Holiday Sessions – Dec. 11, 1 p.m.
A Christmas Cookie – Dec. 11, 1:30 p.m.
Holy Night: Christmas with the Tabernacle Choir – Dec. 13, 8 p.m.
B.E. Taylor – Dec. 15, 8 p.m.
Anthony Williams’ Urban Nutcracker – Dec. 19, 10 p.m.
Curious George: A Very Monkey Christmas – Dec. 19, 4 p.m.
Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra Family Christmas Show – Dec. 20, 10 p.m.
The Nutcracker and the Mouse King – Dec. 23, 9 p.m.
Ella Wishes You a Swinging Christmas with Vanessa Williams – Dec. 24, 7 p.m.
WQED Presents: Live from Studio A – Holiday Jam 2007 – Dec. 25, 1 p.m.
Happy Holidays in Pittsburgh – Dec. 25, 2 p.m.
All Creatures Great and Small on Masterpiece: The Perfect Christmas – Dec. 25, 8 p.m.

Looking for some Eat’n Park Christmas Star items? Check out the Eat’n Park Smiley store for cookies, shirts and other goodies.

You can buy a shirt from Steel City reppin’ the Christmas Star.

Plus, you can add it to your Zoom or Teams (or other video chat app) backgrounds, get a mobile phone background image, share it on social media and much more from Eat’n Park’s site!

Cue the confetti!

The 96th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade steps off on Thanksgiving Day — Nov. 24!

This year, the parade kicks off at 8:45 a.m. at Central Park West and 77th Street in New York City.

In 2021, Macy’s estimated 2.5 million spectators lined the parade route.

And that’s nothing compared to screen views!

Macy’s estimates that more than 50 million viewers across broadcast and streaming watch the parade, making it one of the nation’s most viewed televised events each year.

2022 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade balloon, celebrities lineup

Cue the Confetti! The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade returns!

So, how can you watch the parade?

The parade will air from 9 a.m. to noon in all time zones.

View the parade on your local NBC station or stream it on Peacock.

Celebrities and other acts in the parade include Paula Abdul, Gloria Estefan, Ziggy Marley, the cast of Peacock’s “Pitch Perfect,” Jordin Sparks, Dionne Warwick, Lea Michele and, of course, Santa Claus!

The “Today” show hosts Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb will host the parade. Al Roker is also listed as a parade co-host, but NBC’s Dylan Dreyer said on air recently that she will help do some street coverage of the parade.

NBC has made no official statements on Roker’s role or Dreyer’s role.