photo credit: Daniela Tiberi
Thanksgiving is the time for everyone to take a deeper focus at what they’re grateful for and spend time with loved ones. No two families spend their Thanksgiving the same, so let’s take a look into two local families, and what they do to celebrate during the holiday break.
A major part of most Thanksgiving celebrations is the food they eat. Food is a big part of the Thanksgiving celebration because it dates back to the first Thanksgiving feast in 1621, some using parts of the first feast, in their feasts in the present.
“The food that we eat on Thanksgiving day is of course turkey, but I like ham better so we have ham too. We have pumpkin cheesecake, apple pie, mashed potatoes, bread of course, green beans, corn, cranberries sometimes and we also have these s’more tarts that I like to make every year,” sophomore Audrey Del Vecchio said.
Thanksgiving preparations can look like either mayhem, or heaven. With so much to prepare in such little time, it typically requires some help from all family members. What is a better way to bond over food?
“My Thanksgiving break looks like heaven. I get to sleep in, it gets to be very casual and on Friday, my husband and I go Black Friday shopping,” Guidance Secretary Cyndie Vande Water said.
Black Friday, the Friday after Thanksgiving, is a big day, especially for those buying Christmas gifts and wanting a deal on the items. Not everyone goes Black Friday shopping, some may shop on Cyber Monday, the Monday after Thanksgiving, to avoid crowds as it is online deals, or some may not buy anything that weekend at all. Black Friday signals the busiest shopping season of the year, as it signals the start of Christmas shopping, according to NShift.
“On Thanksgiving Day, we usually have everyone come to our house by 1 p.m. and we hang out for a little bit, talk and then we have dinner. It’s around 4 p.m. that we have dinner and then we like to go outside and play charades. It’s kind of become a little family tradition,” Del Vecchio said.
Thanksgiving is a time for traditions. Holidays hold memories, the repetition of our celebrations is important because it brings nostalgia and comfort. Popular traditions on Thanksgiving Day are The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, watching football, breaking the wishbone of the turkey and running in the Turkey Trot according to EF Academy.
“Of course we eat, take a nap, eat, take a nap and just share old, fond memories of each other growing up,” Vande Water said.
Passing down traditions to the younger ones in the family is important because it sets up a path to follow for the rest of their holidays. Doing things like donating to shelters, serving food at homeless shelters or participating in food drives are the perfect way to pass down onto family the reminder to be grateful, help others and recall that the Thanksgiving celebration is more than food according to National Geographic Kids.
“We make a menu of everything so everyone knows what they’re having. We set up some games outside on our patio and we also will get coloring sheets and set up a little kids table for the younger kids,” Del Vecchio said.
Everyone brings certain dishes and helps build the meal, which is an important tradition. It represents how families work and come together to make something complete, helping out those they care for because they love them.
“We will share bringing the side dishes. I will make the green bean casserole my sister-in-law will make the sweet potato casserole and someone else will bring dessert. But my mother-in-law does make the whole main course,” Vande Water said.
Thanksgiving has a deep meaning that is more than just turkey and pie. Thanksgiving celebrations are a time to not only catch up with loved ones, but recall memories with them, both those still living and passed on, according to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum.
“It is a good time for us to reflect on those that we don’t have anymore,” Vande Water said.
