Festivities

Staff member: Alexis Pruitt

When you think of Thanksgiving, you probably think of the days off or the food. Although food is a big part of Thanksgiving, many other traditions matter, too. 

Parades happen almost every holiday, so Thanksgiving has one, too. Parades are traditions that many people take part in. Some people watch the parades live, or they might stay home and watch them on TV. Another widespread tradition would be giving thanks. Many people like to say what they are thankful for. It is what the whole holiday is about. Being thankful is a big part of Thanksgiving, and this tradition helps spread that. The wishbone is also popular. Wishbones are meant to give you luck by seeing who gets the bigger piece when breaking a bird's collarbone in half. A helpful tradition is donating to charity or food banks. Many people need food on a holiday all about it, so it is a very kind tradition. The most universal tradition is having a big feast. You eat numerous kinds of food, such as turkey or mashed potatoes.

Having a feast isn’t the only tradition. As you can see, parades, giving thanks, wishbones, and giving to charity are all important traditions that not everyone has, but many do.

Staff Member: Kinley Dieball

The countdown to Christmas is almost here, but first there is Thanksgiving, when you eat lots of delicious foods such as turkey or ham and, of course, that disgusting cranberry sauce you have every year.

Have you ever heard of the Macy’s Day Parade? Well, if you have not, I’m here to tell you about it. It’s a balloon parade, but they’re not just any regular balloons; they are giant balloons, like the size of a small house. This parade is put on by a store called Macy’s, hence the name. Sometimes other companies will also have balloons in the parade, like McDonald's has different versions of Ronald McDonald as a balloon, like ice skating Ronald and Acrobatic Ronald. Over the years, fans have chosen some favorites like Kermit appearing in 1977, Charlie Brown appearing in 2012, and Felix the Cat in 1927. Felix the Cat is wildly popular because it was the first balloon in the parade. It is put on every year in Manhattan, New York City, on Thanksgiving Day. 

It first started as just an advertisement for the new expansion of the Macy’s store building on Herald Square, but then became a tradition. Now the parade is still put on to kick off holiday shopping for Christmas, encouraging customers to shop at Macy’s. The store's immigrant employees also used this time to celebrate their American heritage.

So if you are anywhere around New York City on Thanksgiving, I strongly suggest going to see it. Happy Thanksgiving! 

Staff Member: Becca Warren

Thanksgiving is a time to think about what we are grateful for and I have the perfect craft to do that. A gratitude turkey. This craft includes paint. If you don't want to do it with paint then still follow the directions, just do it with paper instead. 

You will need brown paint, white cardstock, red paper, orange paper, yellow paper, a feather template,a black marker, glue and scissors. First up grab your cardstock and brown paint. You can either dip your hand into the brown paint or paint your hand.

 Then you will push it onto the cardstock. If you don't want to use the paint, grab a piece of brown paper and trace your hand to make the turkey's body. Now take your red, orange and yellow paper and use your template to cut out feathers. Cut out at least four but you can cut out as many as you want. Write what you are thankful for onto each of your feathers before gluing them onto your turkeys back. Now add whatever customizations you want, like eyes or a wattle to the turkey's chin. There now you have a turkey that shows what you are thankful for and looks super cool as a decoration.

Staff member: Aiden Munson

Thanksgiving today means family gatherings and classic foods like turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and cranberries. But centuries ago, the holiday looked entirely unrecognizable. Forget the football games and pumpkin pies—the real history of this day is packed with weird menus and near-miss warfare.

What we call the “First Thanksgiving” wasn’t a planned holiday dinner at all. It was a messy, three-day harvest party in Plymouth, Massachusetts and it almost started a war. When a handful of Pilgrims went out to shoot fowl for the feast, local Wampanoag people heard the sudden gunfire. Fearing an attack, a group marched out to investigate. Instead of a battlefield, they came across a peaceful festival.

The 1621 food lineup was also completely different from the modern menu. Back then, golden turkey, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin pie, didn’t exist for Thanksgiving. Instead, the feast only had venison (deer), goose, duck, and flint corn porridge. Because of their coastal location, they also had local seafood, forcing guests to stuff themselves with lobster, eels, clams, and mussels.

Once the first harvest festival wrapped up, the Pilgrims completely abandoned the custom. It stayed forgotten for about 242 years until President Abraham Lincoln signed a proclamation, officially transforming Thanksgiving into a recurring national day of observance.

Staff Member: Jim Rontti

In America, many Americans nationwide meet up with family and friends towards the end of November (4th Thursday of November) to get together, spend time and celebrate to give thanks about their life and enjoy nice home cooked food. Some traditions of Thanksgiving are to have a big feast. One part of the Thanksgiving dinner is having a big turkey. Usually some sides to have along with the turkey are stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, bread rolls, and some other fruits and vegetables.

On Thanksgiving the Macy’s Day Thanksgiving Parade happens in New York City, which includes floats, giant balloons(most of them being cartoon characters), and marchers. At the end is Santa with his sleigh and a giant santa balloon mostly to show it almost December/Christmas. 

When people get together, one tradition on Thanksgiving is to go around and say what you are thankful for. For example: someone might say “I am thankful for this time we get to spend together.” And everyone at the gathering would usually do that. Another tradition is that some people might put up their Christmas tree on thanksgiving to celebrate the fact that Christmas is soon. Thanksgiving is called that after the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag tribe gave thanks to each other and shared a harvest meal in 1621. This is the reason people give thanks on Thanksgiving.

Staff Member: Kylee Costello

Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday with various delicious foods. Of course, there’s cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, and turkey, but have you ever tried pumpkin mousse cheesecake? As you invite family and friends from around the globe to join you this Thanksgiving, it is the perfect time to try new and delicious recipes for everyone to enjoy.

Dinner is one of the main parts of Thanksgiving. Instead of turkey, there is a dish called cranberry chicken thighs. This dish uses brown sugar, cranberries, and water to add flavor to the chicken. Seasonings, such as salt, dried rosemary, and pepper, are used to add even more flavor. This dish yields around six servings, making this meal enjoyable for everyone.

While dinner may take a while to cook, there are appetizers that take less time to bake. Cranberry whipped feta makes an excellent dip for your Thanksgiving meal. This feta is sweet, creamy, salty all together, and it tastes delicious with crackers. The dip could also work as a stuffing for chicken, salmon, and turkey. Adding toasted pistachios and honey gives it a crunchy texture and sweet flavor. These two ingredients are optional, not essential, so if you’d rather leave anything out, you can easily replace it. In the end, you get a tasty dip for your Thanksgiving meal.

After dinner, Thanksgiving is not complete without a dessert! Pies are amazing, but what about a no-bake dessert with a similar taste to cheesecake? Pumpkin mousse is a delicious, creamy, pumpkin-flavored dessert. This takes about fifteen to twenty-five minutes to make. It starts with a cream cheese mixture. Ingredients for the mixture include cream cheese (softened), brown sugar, and pumpkin pie spice. Mix until completely smooth, then add pumpkin puree. Making a homemade whipped cream adds flavor to this treat. After both the cream and mixture are ready, combine them for that creamy flavor. Add the new mixture to a cup, and then refrigerate for a firm texture. Before serving, don’t forget to add a few toppings!   

Thanksgiving isn’t just about the food. But the food could be something that brings family and friends closer together! This year, maybe try unique recipes for everyone to taste.