If you were to go up to someone and say the word Thanksgiving to them, something is going to come to mind. If they follow the most widely-accepted idea of how to celebrate Thanksgiving, they might picture a table covered in food such as mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and macaroni and cheese, with a big turkey in the middle. Their mouths might water for pumpkin pie. They might think of the big Thanksgiving football game. They might think of their family, or whoever means the most to them.
Everyone has traditions, whether it be for the holidays or for any other part of their lives. Someone might have the tradition of getting takeout from their favorite restaurant every Thursday night, or cannot watch their favorite movie without watching the two sequels immediately after. Traditions are what make ordinary events special. They provide comfort and give people something to look forward to. One of the most traditional times of year is the holiday season, starting with Thanksgiving day.
Regardless of what someone’s tradition is, whether it be traditional or nontraditional, these are activities which mean something to people and make a special day even better. Here are a few nontraditional traditions some people have to celebrate Thanksgiving:
Non-traditional meals:
“My family makes hot pot instead of turkey, if that counts.” – Gwendolyn Wu
“Family makes brisket instead of turkey. I mean, the turkey is still there, but everyone looks forward to eating the brisket.” – Daisy Ochoa
Creating traditions:
“We always went to a ski resort (Snowbird) for the week, my whole extended Ryser family when I was growing up. We still try to do it, though the family has gotten super big with the grandkids having their own families and kids now…Also, one of my own traditions I’ve started with my kids is a T-day tablecloth. We decorate it each year (a section) and put our handprints, names, and things we are grateful for down. My family has always said what we are grateful for that day, so I wanted to memorialize it. Also, I like the idea of watching the boys grow throughout the years with the handprints and then in the future seeing it fill up.” – Jade Ryser
“My family usually has a big dinner with my Meme, but for the past 2 years we’ve spent it at my brother’s football game. He plays for Norwich Free Academy. After the game, my mom, brother, my sister and I have a small dinner together.” – Makilah Riyan
Keeping it simple:
“I don’t do anything for Thanksgiving… most of the time one of my parents is working on that holiday so we’re all at home (no party, etc.), and the only difference is that there’s a big turkey to consume.” – Katie Gamboa
Taking Thanksgiving away from home:
“My family has been going to casinos to eat at buffets for the past few years.” – Leesa Kim
“My family always takes Thanksgiving to the beach. We bring everything down, even the full turkey! We sit and eat and relax and enjoy the sun and sand and water…We go to Point Dume, and I don’t remember exactly how it started, I think it stemmed from when my parents would sometimes take us to get fried chicken from KFC and then we’d take it to the beach just on a whim. It was a special treat, and then one year we just started going to the beach for Thanksgiving. I will say of all the years we have been going I have never encountered another family that has brought their Thanksgiving to the beach. Which to me seems like such an awesome way to spend Thanksgiving!” – Shaina Zimdahl
As for me, my family has the tradition of going to Las Vegas for Thanksgiving. We get up early on Thanksgiving day and drive four hours from Los Angeles. We stay at the Treasure Island Hotel and spend the day on the Las Vegas strip. Since Treasure Island is located next to a huge mall, we spend midnight going through Black Friday sales.
No matter what your plan is for the holidays, whether it be traditional, nontraditional, or seemingly nonexistent, all that matters in the end is that you have a good time and have something to look back on with fond memories for the rest of your life.
Happy Thanksgiving!