I record the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade every year, because, really, I’m not going to wake up to watch it live. Still, I find myself fast-forwarding through most of the balloons and floats, because they are either old-fashioned or just plain boring. Here are ten suggestions that Macy’s should use to make the parade more interesting for the average pop-culture-inclined college student.

1. Lady Gaga: I can only imagine what type of costume Lady Gaga would wear to the Thanksgiving parade. If the songstress herself couldn’t make an appearance, I’d love to wake up to Gaga look-alikes in all her old crazy costumes.

2. The “Twilight” vampires: Accompanying the winter wonderland theme that Thanksgiving brings about, the Cullens could sparkle on a snowy float.

3. David Freese: The St. Louis Cardinals third baseman won both the National League Championship Series and the World Series MVP awards, and those honors make him deserving of the national stage. He gave a great interview on Leno, and he’s pretty much a cutie. Why not have him waving all day?

4. The Man in Black from “Lost”: We in Cadenza never need an excuse to bring up “Lost,” but the smoke monster would be an awesome balloon. It would barely need any engineering—just fill up some black fabric with helium. Plus, maybe the accompanying float would have Terry O’Quinn on it. That wouldn’t be the worst thing.

5. The house from “Up”: Since it already floats, the “Up” house seems like it would be a natural fit for a parade balloon. The colorful balloons attached to the house would brighten up the day.

6. The cast of “Community”: The parade airs on NBC, and NBC has a lot of explaining to do to “Community” fans for pulling the low-rated but beloved show off the midseason schedule. Having the cast appear would maybe soften the blow a tiny bit.

7. A giant pumpkin: This one doesn’t seem to make much sense, but let me explain. People always get mad when Christmas starts in October, claiming that it’s encroaching on the Halloween season. To get back at those people, have Halloween invade the beginning of Christmas.

8. Puss in Boots: His solo movie just opened a few weeks ago, but you may not want to shell out the money needed for the full 3D experience. Instead, wouldn’t it be great to stare at the adorable cat when he’s enlarged to balloon size floating over New York City streets?

9. Ted Drewes frozen custard: In order to drum up some interest in St. Louis tourism, why not advertise for Ted Drewes? The balloon would confuse and delight, but the float members throwing frozen custard to the parade viewers would certainly drum up some excitement. And maybe some brain freeze.

10. The remaining Republican presidential candidates: What better way to campaign than from a traveling float in New York? Judging who has the best wave is probably just as valid as judging their stances on issues, anyway.