Beloved Macy’s holiday tradition ends after 80 years

When you grow up Jewish, Santa Claus seems a little absurd.

I mean, religion requires belief, but to believe that a magical old man brought toys to all the Christian children in the world by riding a flying sleigh seemed like something most children would be skeptical of.

In reality, however, many children believe until a certain age, and others go along with the ritual because it involves receiving presents on Christmas morning.

Part of the Santa ritual has always been to take pictures of Jolly Old Saint Nick sitting on your lap and tell him what you want for Christmas.

Some kids do this in privately booked photo shoots, while many others head to the mall.

I think most kids know that mall Santa is an emissary of the big man rather than the man himself. However, parents take their children to meet him, the children either cry hysterically or take pictures and note down their gift choices before moving on.

More retail:

For about 80 years, for people living in San Francisco, that tradition meant taking their kids to Macy’s Union Square. It was an old tradition that lasted for generations, but this year it will not happen.

Santa Claus, at least for those San Franciscans who like to visit him in Macy’s Union Square, apparently won’t be coming to town.

Macy’s has quietly ended its tradition of having Santa drive from the Thanksgiving Day Parade to the store in San Francisco’s Union Square.

The chain explained that decision in a way that suggests it didn’t have the option of hiring more Santas to visit different stores.

“This year, Macy’s Santa will not be available at our Union Square location. Instead, he will go on a national tour to visit stores and communities where he has not had the chance to appear before, following his national arrival in the Macy’s (New York) Thanksgiving Day Parade,” Macy’s officials said in a statement reported by the San Francisco Chronicle.

Macy’s added that the magic of the holiday season will continue in Union Square with the SF SPCA holiday windows and Macy’s Great Tree presented by Ripple.

“It feels weird without Santa,” Yvonne Fletcher and her husband Adrian told Yahoo News. “I can’t bring my grandchildren and that’s what I was waiting for.”

• Almost an 80-year tradition: Santa has made an annual appearance at Macy’s Union Square store since the store opened in the end of the 1940s and continues almost every year until 2025 (excluding the pandemic year), according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

• Local cultural touchstone: Families line up for visits and photos with Santa each holiday season, making it a cherished tradition in the Bay Area, the San Francisco Chronicle added.

• The same Santa Claus for decades: From 1990 to 2010, the role was played by the beloved “Santa John,” whose appearance became iconic in local family photos, Hoodline reported.

• No Santa in 2025: For the first time in nearly 80 years, Macy’s confirmed Santa it will not be in Union Square this holiday season as it embarks on a national tour following the Thanksgiving Day Parade, ABC7 San Francisco shared.

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Margarita Hernandez, who had visited Santa Claus Union Square as a child, was unaware of the change and brought her daughter.

“I guess we’re going to go find another Santa,” she told reporters, adding, “It’s sad. We’ve been bringing her here since she was a baby.”

Macy’s has fired the famous Santa John Toomey.

“That 2010 incident remains one of the most memorable holiday dramas in Union Square. Toomey was fired after a couple of adults complained about a lighthearted joke he’s been telling for decades: When adults asked why Santa was so jolly, he joked that it was because he knew where all the naughty boys and girls lived,” reports Hoodline.

He was not rehired by Macy’s, but was hired by a local restaurant, appearing for a year before he died.

For many families, this is an important tradition.

Leigh Eric Schmidt, author of “Consumer Rites: The Buying and Selling of American Holidays,” explained to Catholic Online the evolution of Santa in department stores and malls.

He said it reflected a deeper cultural truth.

“The tradition of visiting Santa at the store is more than just a shopping spree – it’s about creating lasting memories and experiencing the joy of the season,” he said.

• Origin in 1924: The first Macy’s parade took place November 27, 1924originally named Macy’s Christmas Paradeand featured floats, live animals, performing artists and Santa Claus, according to NBC.

• The central role of Santa Claus: Santa Claus historically appeared at the end of the parademarking the symbolic beginning of the Christmas season every year since the first event, Encyclopedia Britannica reported.

• Beginning of the annual holidays: Although renamed Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (until 1927), Santa’s presence remained a key ceremonial moment, ushering in holiday shopping and festivities, Encyclopedia Britannica added.

• Almost continuous history: The parade ran every year since 1924 except World War II (1942-1944)becoming ingrained in American holiday tradition, according to NBC.

Cultural historians note that Santa’s appearance is not only commercial; it is ritualistic.

“Climaxing with a Santa Claus at the end of the parade unveiling the holiday windows on 34th Street,” Valerie Paley, chief historian at the New-York Historical Society, told CBS News, describing how the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has long served as a symbolic start to the holiday season.

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This story was originally published by TheStreet on December 20, 2025, where it first appeared in the Retail section. Add TheStreet as a favorite source by clicking here.