Thanksgiving is one of the most-beloved holidays of the year. Combining home-cooked food, family time, and a break from classes, it’s every college student’s dream. But even though it’s a consistent favorite holiday, Thanksgiving traditions vary dramatically from house to house. We surveyed a few of W&M’s students to find out what unique traditions their families have for Thanksgiving.
“Give thanks to Demeter for the bountiful harvest (aka our continued access to food and prosperity).” – Anonymous, 2017
“My dad and I eat Pumpkin Pie for breakfast while we watch the Macy’s Parade.” – Sarah Shevenock, 2018
“My family (me, mom, stepdad, and dad) all eat Thanksgiving dinner together. We alternate whose house we’re at every year (either my mom’s house or my dad’s house) and we never eat turkey, we usually eat chicken or ham. It’s nice that I get to celebrate Thanksgiving with my parents and my stepdad, they’ve always been great about celebrating holidays together and it’s never awkward!” – Anonymous, 2019
“Putting in another tray of biscuits because we might be running low and then forgetting about them until the smoke alarm goes off.” – Juliana Mitchell, 2020
“People find it weird that my family has Mac and Cheese at Thanksgiving, but I think that’s because in their mind, they imagine a serving dish full of Kraft Mac and cheese, but instead we have homemade mac and cheese that couldn’t afford to be cheesier!” – Staci, 2017
“My grandpa makes stuffed mushrooms and cornbread for us to enjoy on Thanksgiving (not that I’m a fan of either, but the rest of the family enjoys it). My grandma makes “Christmas salad” which is a strange (to me) combination of jello and other things – again, while I’m not a fan of this specific tradition, my family devours it, so year after year it’s at the table!” – Staci, 2017
“We always have two types of cranberry sauce — from the can, and homemade. No one ever really eats a ton of either (I can’t say I’m a huge cranberry sauce fan) and we always have so much of each variety left over. I have no idea why my mom keeps making both but at this point, it’s a Thanksgiving staple.” – Anonymous, 2018
Whatever traditions your family has, we at HCWM hope you enjoy your Thanksgiving!