Contrary to popular belief, Thanksgiving doesn’t always involve a turkey.
That’s the case for Sheri Kornblatt, a sophomore communications major, and her family.
“We usually just have Cornish hens, with a little bit of turkey on the side, since it is Thanksgiving after all,” she said. “But we mostly just eat the Cornish hens.”
For centuries, Thanksgiving has been a holiday centered on tradition. But for different families, what’s considered “tradition” might not be the same. And at the University of Maryland, this diversity in holiday activities could not be more accurate.
Kornblatt said her family’s Thanksgiving entails parade-watching and cooking dinner as a family throughout the day. While she makes the apple pie, her brother makes her grandmother’s special stuffing recipe.
Sophomore fire protection engineering major Renee Huffert said she and her family also spends the day in the kitchen, though she and her three sisters usually sleep in late before taking part in the festivities.
“My mom gets up at like six or seven and starts cooking the turkey, and then we all make stuffing together,” she said. “And we always watch ‘Elf’ instead of the parade to start getting into the Christmas spirit.”
Senior kinesiology major Paul Diamonte said while he spends the day with his extended family, Thanksgiving dinner isn’t usually at his house. Instead, they eat at his aunt’s house, where they have a typical Thanksgiving meal filled with turkey and stuffing.
While many families spend Thanksgiving dinner at home around a big table with a home-cooked meal, some choose to dine out, such as sophomore mathematics major Meghan Flaherty and her family.
Flaherty said her grandmother usually cooks and hosts Thanksgiving dinner, but this year, they decided to change things up.
“I don’t know where we’re going, but I guess we’re just doing something different this year,” she said. “But my dad’s still cooking a turkey so that everyone can take home leftovers.”
But even as the sun goes down and night falls, for some, the day is far from over. Black Friday is just hours away.
Kornblatt said her family watches “The Incredibles” on ABC Family and digests their food before going shopping around 11 p.m. That way, they don’t have to wait in any super long lines, she said. Instead, they wait for the smaller lines to clear out before conquering the Black Friday sales.
Regardless of the specific tradition, a few themes remained the same: food, family and being thankful. Huffert said she and her family sit down around the table, and one by one, everyone says what they are thankful for in the past year.
And as the 4-day weekend quickly approaches, Terps are excited to go home and spend Turkey Day with their families and friends.
“I can’t wait to go home,” Huffert said. “I’m so excited for Thanksgiving.”