NEW YORK -- Americans paused Thursday to celebrate their blessings despite the previous weeks' terrorism fears and racial tensions over fatal police shootings across the country.
A record number of police officers patrolled the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York, and St. Louis resumed its annual parade, which was canceled last year amid protests over a black teenager's shooting death by a white police officer in Ferguson, Mo.
Spectators at the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York noted the stepped-up police presence, with officers perched on buildings such as Radio City Music Hall and watching from helicopters hovering overhead.
"It's a little scary, but at least it's keeping us safe," Kim Miller of Boston said of the heavy security. "We're having fun."
City officials said there are no known, credible threats against New York after the deadly attacks in Paris on Nov. 13 and a video purportedly produced by the Islamic State group that contained footage of Times Square. But Police Commissioner William Bratton said more than 2,500 officers would nevertheless be stationed along the parade route for the Thanksgiving festivities -- the largest number of officers the department has ever assigned to the event.
The parade, in its 89th year, included marching bands, floats, and Hello Kitty, Snoopy, SpongeBob SquarePants and other giant balloons.
Pamela and Tom Popp of Ridgefield, N.J., said they've come to the parade every year for at least 20 years.
"It's just a very special part of our holiday," Pamela Popp said. "We're very proud of New York City and this wonderful tradition."
Her husband pointed to the security.
"I see the cops on top of Radio City," Tom Popp said. "Never saw that before."
In St. Louis, a modest-size crowd gathered for the annual Thanksgiving Day parade that was canceled last year amid protests and widespread arrests over the death of Michael Brown, an unarmed black 18-year-old, and other police shootings.
The 2014 parade was supposed to be held several days after a St. Louis County grand jury decided to not indict former Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson in Brown's death.
Thanksgiving in Paris mixed joy with sadness for thousands of American expatriates celebrating the holiday in the city after the Nov. 13 terrorist attacks.
"It's definitely a great time to get together with friends. We have to return to some level of normalcy," said teaching assistant Nadia Alhadi from Detroit, who acknowledged her Thanksgiving was bittersweet.
She was dashing to a local American-run shop to stock up on last-minute supplies of pumpkin puree and chicken broth Thursday afternoon.
"It's absolutely terrible what happened. There's a lot to be thankful about this year. Number one: that I'm safe because I was near the Bataclan when it happened," she said, referring to the concert hall where at least 89 people were killed when three gunmen opened fire during a concert by Eagles of Death Metal.
Judith Bluysen, the owner of a Paris shop named Thanksgiving, had less time for reflection as she dealt with the line in her tiny shop.
"It's a big week for us; it takes months of preparation," she said, pointing to a large refrigerated truck outside, hired to store the overflow of turkeys.
Melissa Kenzig started preparing her apple-and-sweet potato pies in advance Tuesday to make time to pay respects at the Bataclan on Wednesday.
"It's a melancholy day," she said.
The American Church in Paris is hosting a special Thanksgiving event Saturday to commemorate those who lost their lives Nov. 13.
The victims included at least one American, Nohemi Gonzalez, 23, a senior at California State University, Long Beach, who was in the Petit Cambodge restaurant with a student friend when she was fatally shot.
For Arthur Galea, getting to Detroit on Thanksgiving for the city's annual parade has been a 65-year tradition.
He has missed only three over that time, Galea told the Detroit Free Press from the parade route.
"I sleep overnight here," said Galea, 90, of West Branch. "We all have Thanksgiving dinner here."
His family was among tens of thousands of spectators who lined Woodward Avenue for America's Thanksgiving Parade.
The lineup included 180 clowns, 150 papier-mache Big Heads, 25 floats and 13 marching bands. Actor Tim Allen served as grand marshal.
In Washington, D.C., President Barack Obama said Thanksgiving is a day for food, football and hoping "the turkey didn't turn out too dry."
The first family's menu boasted more than enough choices to fill the stomach.
There was honey-baked ham with apricot-mustard glaze, and prime rib and creamed horseradish, according to the White House. And two kinds of stuffing: cornbread with chorizo and "roasted peppers oyster."
As for the veggies, the Obamas could enjoy braised winter greens -- collards, kale and turnip greens -- in addition to kale Caesar salad. Green bean casserole, too.
Plus, there was macaroni and cheese, sweet potato gratin and Yukon Gold mashed potatoes.
For dessert, banana cream, coconut cream, pumpkin, apple, pecan and cherry pies were options.
On Thanksgiving morning, Obama called 10 service members -- two from each of the five branches of the military -- to wish them and their families a happy holiday.
Obama's traditional pardoning of turkeys Wednesday unintentionally caused some merriment across China.
When the president pardoned two turkeys named Honest and Abe, most Americans understood the reference to Abraham Lincoln.
But in China, a translation mix-up saw the second turkey's name rendered not as the one-syllable "Abe" but with two characters pronounced "ah-bay," the same as those used in the name of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Some wondered whether President Obama had compared his Japanese counterpart and ally to a bird.
"Abe should feel happy, because its American daddy is thinking about it," one social media user wrote, while others were more direct. "Abe is just a chicken," wrote one.
Many Chinese people resent Japan for failing to make amends for war crimes committed during its occupation their country during World War II, and Abe is reviled by many for visiting a war shrine in Tokyo seen as a symbol of Japanese nationalism.
The faulty translation of Abe was published by state-run China Radio International and picked up by several other media outlets.
A man who answered the China Radio news hotline said editorial staff members there had used the Internet to translate the name Abe.
Information for this article was contributed by Karen Matthews, Thomas Adamson, Michael Balsamo, Anne D'Innocenzio, Alan Scher Zagier and Ted Shaffrey of The Associated Press and by Simon Denyer of The Washington Post.
A Section on 11/27/2015