Kelly Ripa tells Alicia Vitarelli what Thanksgiving means to her

NEW YORK CITY (WPVI) -- Thanksgiving in Philadelphia is all about tradition and memories.

I had a chance to chat with talk show host and South Jersey native Kelly Ripa on her set in New York City.

She tells me what this holiday, and our parade, mean to her.

"I just have fond memories," Ripa says. "My entire childhood, I grew up watching the parade on 6abc and going to the parade. Eventually when I got my job on 'All My Children,' I stared being in the parade and it was a real treat every year."

Always true to her Camden County roots, Ripa says there's just something about Thanksgiving in Philadelphia.

"It's so intimate and special in Philadelphia," she says. "There's no other place like it. It's a city that welcomes you and fills you up in every way possible."

Through her success as a talk show host, her spot in the New Jersey Hall of Fame, even her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Ripa has always been real and honest.She says this time of year really kicks her joy and enthusiasm into high gear.

"My favorite thing about Thanksgiving is it really kicks off the holiday season for me," Ripa says. "I am one of those people where the tree is up, it is decorated. The candles that smell like Christmas and pumpkin pie are burning simultaneously. It turns into one big Santa shop."

You can watch Live with Kelly and Ryan weekdays at 9 a.m. right here on 6abc.