Holidaze

Joe Biden knows it sounds like a cliche, but he's encouraging Americans to hang in there and come together ... and he's trying to change the discourse and direction of the country after some very tough times ... and what he said is VERY DIFFERENT from what we've become used to.

The President-elect delivered a pre-Thanksgiving address that was heavy on themes of unity, empathy and love ... something that has largely been absent from presidential speeches.

Regarding Thanksgiving -- Biden says he understands the pain and sadness hundreds of thousands of people will be feeling this year as COVID-19 deaths continue to rise ... because his family has suffered a similar loss with the death of his son, Beau.

He says he knows it's hard to care or be thankful in these moments, and acknowledges that 2020 Thanksgiving will not be the same because the pandemic is making families forego gatherings and traditions.

Still, Biden urges everyone to not lose sight of doing what has to be done to help one another ... and that caring for each other is what is going to get us to the light at the end of the tunnel.

Finally, Biden points out that Americans have gotten through many hardships other than the coronavirus since the nation was founded ... but these hardships were conquered by working together.

The NYPD is doing its best to stop the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade from becoming a super spreader event -- cops are posting up around the parade route to make sure large crowds don't form.

The turkey day tradition is now a shortened parade stretched over 3 days, and with pre-taping going on Tuesday and Wednesday, police are busy standing guard for trouble and herding folks along.

As you can see, there's a ton of barricades set up on the blocked-off side streets around Macy's flagship store, where most of the pre-taping is going on ... and cops are holding the perimeter.

Police are making their presence known, but a high-ranking NYPD official tells TMZ the police detail for the parade has been slashed by 80 percent from last year, which is a huge cut. The reduction in force, we're told, is because the parade is much smaller.

We're told NYPD is not expecting any large crowds or any trouble, believing most people will be smart and shy away from gathering to watch pre-tapings ... but if people do come to watch, cops will educate them about crowd dangers in a pandemic and move them along.

So far, things seem to be running smoothly as Macy's tackles a new-look parade, which is essentially only the final section of the usual 2.5-mile route.

Honchos at Macy's tell us there haven't been any issues pre-taping floats, balloons, Santa Claus and performers on the side streets around the flagship department store ... thanks in part to the secure perimeters. Organizers didn't telegraph where they were filming, which also helped prevent crowds from forming.

Macy's says Thanksgiving Day will see a live show outside the flagship store anchored by Savannah Guthrie, Al Roker and Hoda Kotb during a shortened parade ... and we're told there will be a larger police presence.

The NFL has officially postponed its biggest Thanksgiving Day football game -- Ravens vs. Steelers -- after multiple players tested positive for COVID.

"Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers game scheduled for Thursday, November 26 has been moved to Sunday afternoon, November 29," the NFL confirmed.

"This decision was made out of an abundance of caution to ensure the health and safety of players, coaches and game day personnel and in consultation with medical experts."

Earlier this week, Baltimore's top 2 running backs -- Mark Ingram and J.K. Dobbins -- were ruled out for Thursday night after testing positive for COVID.

But now, there seems to be a chance they could get back on the field for Sunday's game ... IF they weren't symptomatic.

Per the NFL's COVID policy, an asymptomatic player can return if 5 days have passed since the initial positive test AND the player receives 2 consecutive negative rapid tests at least 24 hours apart within that 5-day span.

We don't know if the RBs were symptomatic or not -- but we're making calls to try and find out.

In the meantime, there are still two other games going down on Turkey Day ... Houston vs. Detroit and Washington vs. Dallas.

President Trump still hasn't conceded, but The White House Gift Shop can certainly read the writing on the wall ... it's slashing prices to unload some Trump merch.

The gift shop website is now offering several Trump-centric products at a discount -- some up to 50 percent. Most of the items can be found in the "Our Featured Products" section.

Here's a list of what's on sale ...

The President Trump American Flag Pin, regular price $24.95, is now $15.95. The pin has "45th President of The United States, Donald J. Trump" engraved on the backside.

2018 ornaments -- just in time for Christmas -- are half off. One package which is normally $350 is now available at $175, and a smaller package normally $100 is on sale for $50. In both cases, the ornaments are engraved with "New leadership, new era, new generation, new hope" on the front, and "North Korea peace talks in Singapore,” "Dow at highest levels in U.S. history" and other accomplishments on the back.

And, of course -- Trump's red hats. Both the "Keep America Great" and "Make America Great Again" styles are marked down to $34.95 from $37.95.

Meanwhile, the WH shop is also promoting the pre-order of Inauguration Coins featuring the 46th President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.

The coin is priced at $100, and it says it will ship on Jan. 1 in advance of the Inauguration on Jan. 20.

This could be you, Joe Exotic -- President Trump just issued his first lame-duck pardon ... sparing a feathered friend from ending up on someone's Thanksgiving dinner plate.

POTUS emerged Tuesday in the Rose Garden for the annual pardoning of the turkey in advance of Thanksgiving. It's the final time he'll cut a break for a bird -- this one's named Corn -- during his Presidency.

Two turkeys arrived in D.C. for the special event, with Corn getting the honor as the official Thanksgiving Turkey. Standard ops call for there to be a backup ... and Corn's understudy fowl was Cob. Naturally, they both hail from Iowa.

The White House soldiered on with the light-hearted event despite the dark cloud looming -- there were signs of the resurgent pandemic ... the farmers who raised Corn and Cob wore masks, while Trump went mask-free. Again, naturally.

It was a rare public appearance for Trump, who continues to stew over his loss to President-elect Joe Biden -- but he resisted referencing the election results during the ceremony, and at least put on a happy face for cameras.

Tracy Morgan says we all need to do our part to help those less fortunate this year ... and he's walking the walk.

"The Last O.G." star showed up at the Mott Haven Community Center in the Bronx Tuesday to lend a helping hand with the giveaway of 1,200 turkeys by the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association.

As you can see ... a long line of folks in need waited to get their bird for Thanksgiving, and Tracy was a pleasant surprise ... especially for one lady.

Other than one wild turkey trying to escape, the giveaway went smoothly for the comedian ... but he wasn't done. We're told after an hour at the community center, he hit up 2 more spots to help out even more.

Tracy also volunteered with the Food Bank for New York over the weekend, doing the same thing to help an estimated 2 million New Yorkers who are hungry this holiday season.

That's roughly a 500k increase from a normal year without a pandemic, so like Tracy tells us ... at times like these, people need all the help they can get.

We've seen that giving vibe plenty in recent days -- French Montana also handed out turkeys in the Bronx, and Tyler Perry Studios held a massive food drive giveaway in Atlanta.

Pass the gravy, mashed potatoes, stuffing ... and ketchup?!

Yup, Patrick Mahomes says he loves the tomatoey stuff SO MUCH, he's planning on slathering it all over his Thanksgiving Day meal!!!

The K.C. Chiefs superstar -- well known for his love of ketchup -- confirmed with the guys on KCSP 610 Sports Radio on Monday that he will, in fact, even put ketchup on his turkey.

"Yeah, dude, I mean come on," Mahomes said. "You got to put ketchup on that!"

In fact, Mahomes says if ham is part of his Thanksgiving feast Thursday as well ... that'll get the ketchup treatment too!!!

And, when the guys asked him if he was joking ... Mahomes said flat-out, hell no!

"Come on," the Chiefs star said with a laugh, "you know me better than that!"

Mahomes' infatuation with ketchup clearly knows no bounds ... in the past, he's admitted to putting it on steak, eggs and mac and cheese. The guy even has an endorsement deal with Hunt's to make sure he's always got a fresh bottle handy!

How do you get 200 turkeys to people in need in Hawaii?

HAND 'EM TO MARSHAWN!

The ex-NFL star grabbed his Beast Mode shorts, some PPE and a few friends -- and hit the streets of Oahu on Monday to distribute 200 turkeys ahead of Thanksgiving.

FYI, Hawaii's economy has been hit particularly hard from the COVID pandemic -- crushing the tourism industry for months.

Tons of people are out of work and struggling -- and Marshawn Lynch decided a little Turkey Day love could go a long way.

So, he teamed up with Young's Fish Market, Tamura Super Market and other partners to get the birds to the people who could use some help this holiday season. Ex-NFL wideout Chad Owens, who's from Hawaii, was on hand to help out with the giveaway.

The video, shot by KHON's Rob DeMello, is fantastic -- showing Lynch bouncing from car to car ... dropping off turkeys like he was Santa in November!

At one point, he even struck a QB pose using a turkey as the football!

Don't throw it. Stick to the ground game.

It seems every doctor or scientist from Dr. Fauci on down is URGING people NOT to celebrate Thanksgiving, but based on our unscientific survey, folks don't seem to be listening.

We called around the country to various supermarket chains ... and turkey sales are pretty much the same they were last year, and in some cases, even more birds are going to have their gooses cooked.

-- Star Market in Boston has sold roughly the same number of turkeys as last year. And, get this ... they sold 30% more large turkeys this year, at least so far.

-- Stop & Shop in New York City has sold out all of its smaller birds -- we're talking 900 turkeys. The larger turkeys are not flying off the shelves. This could be a good sign that people aren't planning super-large gatherings.

-- Wegmans in Princeton, New Jersey has also seen an increase in smaller turkeys over last year. Again, maybe a sign of smaller gatherings.

-- Jewel-Osco market in Chicago is seeing the same number of turkeys sold this year as last, but small turkeys seem to be selling faster than larger ones.

-- Hy-Ve market in Minneapolis again says they're selling the same number of turkeys this year as last.

-- Giant Eagle Supermarket in Pittsburgh is also seeing the same number sold this year as last.

-- Kroger Fresh Fare in Dallas has seen a 20% increase in turkey sales this year as compared to last. They've actually sold out and are waiting for another shipment of 1,000 birds.

-- Whole Foods in New Orleans is seeing the same sales this year as last.

-- Publix in Atlanta has sold more turkeys -- both big and small -- this year compared to last.

-- Ralphs in Los Angeles is seeing the same rate of turkey sales this year as last.  They're almost sold out of small turkeys but larger birds are also selling well.

-- Albertsons in Kingston, Washington has seen an increase in smaller turkeys. The larger turkeys are not selling well.

-- Smart & Final in Phoenix is seeing an increase in turkey sales -- both big and small -- over last year. They fill their shelves with 8 cases of turkeys at a time and they sell out in just 4 hours.

French Montana is guaranteeing hundreds of families on his home turf have their main dish covered this Thanksgiving.

The rapper teamed up with members of City Harvest on Monday to give back to his Bronx community ... by funding and participating in the giveaway of more than 500 birds to those in need.

French is the latest hip-hop artist to hop on the grocery-giving train as the holidays approach. This past weekend, celebs like Dr. Dre and Nick Cannon took part in the nationwide Feed Your City Challenge in Compton.

Likewise, Tyler Perry fed thousands who flocked to his Georgia studio for a huge giveaway of nonperishable items -- and Kodak Black bought 1,000 turkeys earlier this month to distribute in Florida

A lame-duck is about to come bill-to-beak with a feathered friend ... the first of what promises to be a flurry of pardons before that lame-duck migrates south for the winter.

President Trump is moving forward Tuesday at The White House with the annual pardoning of the turkey ahead of Thanksgiving -- which will mark a rare public appearance from DT since he got beat by Joe Biden.

There'll actually be two birds sent to D.C. for the event ... one will be named the official Thanksgiving Turkey and the other will be an alternate (assuming the first runs away?). No word yet on what the Trump team might name the foul.

Last year, the staff dubbed them Bread and Butter ... Butter got pardoned.

The two birds this year are being selected from the Walcott family farm in Iowa -- the eighth such family from the Hawkeye State to raise birds destined for presidential sparing. After some face-time with Trump, they'll live out the rest of their days at Iowa State University and will be on public display come December.

It's a bit surprising the WH is soldiering on with such a light-hearted event ... y'know ... because of the dark cloud looming over just about everything there these days. Of course, Trump has yet to concede -- and seems more bitter than ever.

Gigi Hadid's teasing fans, but still not handing out the gift they want for the holidays ... that first full-face shot of her baby with Zayn Malik. Patience, grasshoppers.

The supermodel decided to show her baby daughter off a little bit -- something she's rarely done since the little one was born in September -- along with several photos of Christmas decorations put up in her home.

Gigi still hasn't provided the world with a photo of her girl's face, but the shots of her daughter resting on her chest in a baby carrier are adorable nonetheless.

Zayn and Gigi are keeping mum, to the public at least, about her name, but it seems "da bestie" is an early nickname. Gigi wrote ... "A whole new kind of busy & tired ... but she’s da bestie so she got Christmas decorations early."

Based on the shots of Mom and daughter and the festive decorations, it appears Gigi's at their Pennsylvania home ... where she's been living for months during the coronavirus pandemic.

Tyler Perry was in the giving mood this weekend -- and it appears thousands more were in the receiving mood ahead of an extremely challenging Thanksgiving.

Tyler Perry Studios in Atlanta became the site of incredibly long lines of cars Sunday morning as folks came from all over to jump on the food drive giveaway the studio dubbed TPSGiving ... which aimed to feed 5,000 families.

TP and co. promised to offer up nonperishables as well as gift cards to the first 5,000 families to pull up to their grounds ... and the people heard them loud and clear, because the cars started arriving as early as Saturday afternoon, and only grew bigger going into Sunday -- with the drive going from 8 AM ET to noon.

Check out this drone footage TMZ obtained that shows a bird's-eye view of the scene -- you can see traffic backed up all along the surrounding freeway there ... and word on the ground is that it was even more packed than what this shows.

As for how it was carried out, Tyler's staff made sure to keep coronavirus in mind ... the hand-off of goods was all curbside pickup, and everyone receiving a care package was asked to wear masks. The TPS employees were covered in PPE from head to toe as well, so by all accounts ... it was as safe as can be for this type of thing.

Folks struggling with the pandemic and all of its fallout got a big break Saturday, with celebs and others pitching in to help feed those in need.

The Feed Your City Event is 10-events strong, and it was held in numerous U.S. cities.  Among them ... Compton, where Dr. Dre, music industry icon Tony Draper and retired NBA star Ricky Davis sponsored the event in Compton.

The event is timed around Thanksgiving, where people could get free groceries including, of course, turkeys. This year the giveaway includes PP supplies.

The event was COVID-safe, with a one-lane drive-thru and another line for walk-ups.  Everyone socially distanced and masks were plentiful.

Also involved in organizing the event ... Compton Mayor Aja Brown, Power 106 and 93.5 KDAY.

Clare Crawley and Dale Moss are already engaged, but they're taking their relationship to new heights by spending a holiday with each other's families ... despite cheating rumors.

Sources close to "The Bachelorette" couple tell TMZ ... they're ignoring claims that Dale stepped out on Clare ... they'll spend their first Thanksgiving together on the West Coast.

We're told Dale flew to Sacramento to meet Clare, and they'll be heading down to San Diego to feast on turkey, stuffing and pumpkin pie with family and friends on both sides.

Our sources say they place no stock in recent reports alleging Dale was kissing women in NYC last week.

ICYMI ... Dale -- a former football player turned model -- was photographed walking around the city with a few models last week after they worked a Hugo Boss event together.

They got drinks afterward, and that's when the rumor mill churned out talk that he was seen smooching on women. They say it's absolutely untrue ... one of the women Dale was hanging with is married, and the other has a boyfriend.

Regardless, Clare was unfazed by the gossip and met up with Dale in his hometown in South Dakota a few days later. She shared a romantic pic of the meetup.

Our sources say they plan to split their time between Sacramento and NYC due to their jobs.

As you know ... Clare's time as 'Bachelorette' was unprecedented, as she and Dale hit it off so intensely he proposed to her just days into filming her season. She said yes, and as of now ... we're told there's still no trouble in paradise.

The Wet Bandits are once again being chased off a property by young Kevin McCallister this holiday season ... because somebody went to extreme lengths to bring 'Home Alone' to life at their own crib ... almost quite literally.

The house in question is decked out in perhaps the most EPIC Christmas decoration set-up ever ... with this home-owner going above and beyond to recreate some of the most iconic scenes and snapshot moments from Macaulay Culkin's 1990 comedy classic.

They even have life-size figurines of the three main characters -- little Kevin's up on the roof with his memorable paint can booby trap ... while Marv and Harry try to make a run for it from the porch below. Not exactly how things played out in the flick, but close enough.

If you'll recall, Kevin actually throws the paint cans from inside the huge Chicago-based McCallister mansion, tossing 'em over the stair banister and hitting each crook in the head to send them toppling back down to the first story.

There's more décor from the movie all over the house -- including the Michael Jordan cardboard cutout that Kevin used to make the bandits think someone was home ... plus the front page of the newspaper showing that Marv and Harry had escaped from prison. Whoever shot this also had the good sense to throw Brenda Lee's 'Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree' as the background music ... a prominent song featured in 'Home Alone.'

Oh, and who could forget the classic line from the fake noir film Kevin used to scare people -- like an unwitting pizza boy -- as well ... 'Angels with Filthy Souls,' which had the best tagline ever?!? That makes a cameo here too, in spirit (and signage).