Turkey, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, Oh my; Thanksgiving is a holiday set on the fourth Thursday of November and celebrates giving thanks to people in your life. It began in 1621 when the pilgrims left Britain and sailed to a place they called Plymouth Rock. Here, American Indians showed them how to cultivate crops. When harvesting time came, everyone came together and shared a meal, expressing their thanks.
Thanksgiving has grew to become a worldwide tradition, but what people do varies from house to house. Some families like to sit down and have a day filled with the people they love, while others may enjoy the Thanksgiving football game that is on. One thing that almost all families have in common is a huge feast! These feasts usually consist of turkey, corn, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and even that cranberry sauce that Grandma always brings!
One of the greatest traditions is the Macy’s Day parade. A senior at Lodi High School, Emma Naden claims, “The Thanksgiving activity that I look forward to the most is the Macy’s Day parade because there are so many fantastic sights to see,” Every year Macy’s puts on a parade located in New York. Floats of movie characters, brands, and even a giant turkey move down the street. Many people travel to watch this right in front of their eyes, and others watch it on TV. In fact, around 28.5 million people watched the parade on TV, and also 3.5 million people attended, showing how popular the parade is.
Instead of watching a parade, others enjoy turning on one of the Thanksgiving football games. A sophomore at Lodi High School, Nathan Robbins claims, “My favorite Thanksgiving activity is to sit down with a whole plate of food as my family and I watch as the Detroit Lions lose,” There will be three games scheduled for Thanksgiving, the Chicago Bears will be playing the Detroit Lions at 12:30 p.m. eastern time the New York Giants playing the Dallas Cowboys at 4:30 p.m. eastern time, and the Miami Dolphins will be playing the Green Bay Packers at 8:20 p.m. eastern time. Football games are always a classic on Thanksgiving!
One of the most common traditions is to eat. Some people like to cook all the food as a family, and others enjoy relaxing until the food is made. Everyone loves to load their plate with turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and baked macaroni and cheese. People eat so much that they feel fatigued, but there is always room for dessert! A well known dessert happens to be pie. Some people reach for pumpkin, apple, pecan, and flavor possible with a scoop of ice cream on the side and a dollop of whipped cream.
Families also enjoy some time to sit down and appreciate the company of others. They sometimes go in a circle and allow everyone to express what they’re grateful for, or talk about how their day has been. Anything can seem to be talked about during these family discussions because it is a day dedicated to understanding one another.
If a family is very mindful of their religion, they may see Thanksgiving as a religious holiday. They can use this day to not only be grateful for each other but also be grateful towards god. People tend to bless their food as a family before they begin to eat, take some time to read from the bible as a family, or even pray a rosary together.
Thanksgiving is typically looked at as dull to kids, needing to be engaged in talk about how thankful they are for everything is most likely looked at as a bore, and they are ready to cut to the food part. However, as the years go by, this holiday will mean more and more to you while you continue to develop an understanding of giving a day to give gratitude to others. Thanksgiving is such a wonderful holiday to share love for one another and to get stuffed with all sorts of food!
