By Ed Payne
(CNN) — It came down to the wire, but one Thanksgiving tradition went off without a hitch.
The 16 giant balloons that are a signature of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade floated serenely over Thursday’s event in New York.
The balloons’ use had been in question because of possible high winds, but calmer winds prevailed.
New York police, however, asked that the balloons be flown five feet lower than normal, just to be safe.
Some worried before the parade that they wouldn’t get to see the famous balloons.
“We came all the way from Puerto Rico to see the parade, so it will be a disappointment if we can’t see the balloons,” said Jose Ramirez, who was in New York with his family.
The same goes for the Mastandano family.
“They have to fly,” said Joely Mastandano. “Somebody has to make them fly.”
Parade officials had good reason for being cautious.
In 1997, a woman spent more than three weeks in a coma after the Cat in the Hat balloon — tossed by heavy winds — struck a pole that hit her. In 2005, two other people were hurt in a similar incident involving the M&Ms balloon.
Wind gauges will line the route to make sure it’s not too breezy, according to New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly.
“We have a sergeant assigned to each of the balloons,” Kelly said. “They can be lowered all the way to the ground.”
It’s Thanksgiving
Forecasters had predicted major delays as people traveled for the annual holiday, but the big, scary storms they spoke of didn’t quite materialize.
Except for a few areas where heavy snow fell, this week’s wintry storm system was more of a nuisance than anything to most Americans.
Early reports had us thinking flights would be stranded and roads too slick to travel on, especially in the Northeast.
Not quite.
Cold weather and blustery winds are the leftovers from this storm.
Faring well
Planes and trains fared well as the storm slipped to the north. No major delays were reported.
That was good news for people like Latasha Abney, who joined the more than 43 million Americans expected by AAA to travel over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.
Abney said Wednesday that she arrived more than two hours early at Washington’s Reagan National Airport to catch a flight to New York’s JFK on Wednesday.
“Security was a breeze,” she said. “I walked right up, the TSA agent checked my info … Happy Thanksgiving!!!!”
Amtrak reported no major delays across its system. Using the weather as a marketing tool, the nation’s rail system was adding seats on some routes.
“Rail travel remains one of the most reliable and comfortable transportation options, especially in weather conditions that negatively impact other modes,” Amtrak said.
Deadly roads
Although planes were in the air and trains were on track, automobiles were having a tougher time on the northern fringes of the nation.
Up to a foot of snow fell in parts of Pennsylvania, and it was falling from upstate New York into Canada, where more than a foot was possible. Snow also continued to fly in the central Appalachians and around the Great Lakes as cold air moved in and produced lake-effect snows.
Road conditions were not great in much of the Northeast.
Over the last week, 12 people died, most of them in car crashes, as the storm system iced roads from the Rockies to Texas and Oklahoma. More than 100 vehicles ended up in wrecks.
Black Friday, or is that Thursday?
Travel? Check. Turkey? Check. Now it’s time to shop.
All the buzz is about Black Friday, at least for serious shoppers.
But it’s a bit of a misnomer. More and more, Black Friday is becoming Black Thursday.
Kmart is the early bird with a 6 a.m. opening, and will stay open 41 straight hours.
“People don’t just want to sit at home all day on Thanksgiving. They want to get out and do things, shop,” said Bill Bonsor, the Kmart store manager in Mableton, Georgia. “It’s just evolved into a bigger shopping day — almost as big a shopping day as Black Friday.”
Other retailers like Toys R Us, Walmart, Macy’s, Kohl’s, J.C. Penney and Sears wait until Thursday evening to open their doors.
Electronics are again popular “doorbuster” items. Look for specials on TVs, Kindles, iPads and other tablets.
Not wanting to miss out on such deals, some folks had already pitched tents outside the Best Buy in Burbank, California, on Wednesday.
“It’s mainly for the experience,” said Gabbie Slayton. “Because it’s been a tradition for six years.”
A passerby chastised the group for not being home with their families, but Tim Gaze defended the outing.
“So, you’re focused on your family, and, if your family all comes to shop, then that’s fine.”
Gobble, gobble and Happy Thanksgiving.
CNN’s Jason Carroll, Ben Brumfield, Dave Hennen, Aaron Cooper, Alexandra Field, Shannon Travis and Greg Botelho contributed to this report.
™ & © 2013 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved.