Thanksgiving

Since we’ve finally made it to November, I’m going to talk about one of this month’s holidays, Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is a national holiday that occurs on the 4th Thursday in November every year. It is a time for friends and family to get together and enjoy a big meal together and talk about everything they’re thankful for in their lives. I’m sure everyone learned about how the first Thanksgiving was back in elementary school, but in case you’ve forgotten, I’m here to refresh your memory a little bit. 

The First Thanksgiving:

The first Thanksgiving happened in 1621 in Plymouth, Massachusetts and was a celebration of the first harvest in the New World. The feast lasted three days and included 90 Native Americans and 53 Pilgrims. Unlike what we commonly eat today at Thanksgiving, they had to be a little more creative and ate things like deer, wildfowl, fish, and native fruits and vegetables. 

Today’s Thanksgiving:

In today’s time, Thanksgiving is a little different from what it used to be. Every year on the holiday people gather with their family and close friends and sit down for a meal together. Some common dishes that are made are:

• Turkey
• Dressing
• Mashed Potatoes and Gravy
• Green Beans
• Dinner Rolls
• Cranberry Sauce
• Pumpkin Pie

While these foods are very popular for Thanksgiving many people will make a variety of other foods depending on what their family chooses. Like any holiday, Thanksgiving has many different traditions that people follow. 

1. New York City Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

On Thanksgiving morning you can watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on many different TV news channels. The parade is very interesting and includes live musical performances, very decorative floats, and large balloons of famous cartoon characters that float through the air. At the end of the parade it always shows Santa Claus on his sleigh to begin the Christmas season. If you want more info on what’s going to be in the parade this year, you can visit https://www.macys.com/social/parade/.

2. Wishbones

A common tradition is breaking the wishbone from the turkey. After eating all the turkey off the bone, two people will grab an end of a wishbone and pull it. Whoever has the larger piece of the wishbone is said to make a wish and it will come true. 

3. Black Friday

Anyone who likes to shop, already knows what Black Friday is. Black Friday occurs every year the day after Thanksgiving. Black Friday is considered the “first day of Christmas shopping” and because of this many big retailers like Walmart, Target, and Best Buy (just to name a few) will have reduced prices on the majority of the store. Because of these crazy prices, many people will wait all day outside stores waiting for them to open to get just what they want. 

With Thanksgiving coming up in just a few short weeks, I hope everyone has a good time with their friends and families and remembers what they’re thankful for this year (-:

– Madison Fouts