Americans mark a day of thanks

Turkey, stuffing and a helium-filled Thomas the Tank Engine were on the menu as friends and families gathered across the United States to celebrate Thanksgiving. Here's a look at the many festivities:

MACY'S parade : 'it's nice to feel so festive'

Oohing and ahhing spectators of all ages lined the route of the nationally televised Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, which counted Thomas the Tank Engine, Paddington bear and the Red Mighty Morphin Power Ranger among its six new giant balloons.

It was about 37 degrees as clowns shot bursts of confetti from canisters to get the show rolling. "This is great. It's nice to feel so festive for the holidays," said paradegoer Daryl Winchester, 17, of Queens, as she took pictures, waved and shouted encouragement to parade participants.

Steve Smith, a clown who has performed in the parade 12 years, said he loves to make children happy. "The kids, they are the ones who make the parade," he said.

At the White House, a plethora of pies

President Obama spent a quiet Thanksgiving at the White House, where the belly-stuffing menu featured all the basics.

There was thyme-roasted turkey and honey-baked ham, cornbread stuffing and oyster stuffing, braised winter greens and macaroni and cheese. Don't forget the green bean casserole, sweet potato gratin, mashed potatoes and dinner rolls.

If there was room for dessert, the Obamas could pick from among six pies: banana cream, coconut cream, pumpkin, apple, pecan and cherry. "We go all out on pies. We don't play with pie," the president said.

Obama says Thanksgiving is his favorite holiday "because, more than any other, it is uniquely American."

FERGUSON PROTESTS NEAR New York PARADE

About six protesters chanting "Justice for Mike Brown!" were handcuffed after they tried to march toward the parade route, the New York Post reported. The New York Police Department said there were seven arrests near the parade.

Near the end of the parade route, about 50 protesters walked down the sidewalk carrying signs and chanting, "Hands up, don't shoot." Protests in New York have remained peaceful since a grand jury's decision not to indict the police officer who killed the unarmed Brown in Ferguson, Mo.

"We will not tolerate, under any circumstances, any effort to disrupt this parade," Police Commissioner William Bratton said. "This is a national event, a historic event."

Celebrating as pilgrims did – without electricity

Power outages from the first major snowstorm of the season forced some residents of the Northeast to celebrate Thanksgiving much like the pilgrims and American Indians did almost 400 years ago — in the dark.

The outages were particularly bad in northern New England, where more than 200,000 customers were without power in New Hampshire and more than 100,000 were without electricity in Maine.

In Vermont, state Rep. Mike Mrowicki was in the middle of baking Wednesday night when the lights flickered off. He said he'd improvise on the meal for 10 people. "We've got a gas stove, and we've got a wood stove we heat with," he said.

Associated Press