Holding the Baby Yoda balloon at Macy’s Parade

Like everyone growing up in La Conner, Tristen Nelson knew each holiday season kicked off with the famed Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade televised from New York City.

Unlike most here, however, she would one day be part of the storied event.

That day was this past Thanksgiving when Nelson, associate director of marketing with the Funko pop culture collectibles company, helped introduce the giant Baby Yoda balloon to the rest of the country.

“I’m not being biased – okay, maybe a little – when I say it was the most anticipated balloon of 2021,” Nelson told the Weekly News upon her ret...