By the middle of November, most collegiettes are anxious to have a break from school life and go home for Thanksgiving break. With the weather quickly changing from mildly chilly days, to windy, cold ones, students start counting down until they can lounge on the couch at home and spend the holiday with their family and friends.
Although there are some key aspects of the Thanksgiving holiday and meal, including a turkey, a dinner with family and friends, and more food than you could possibly eat, each family has a unique array of Thanksgiving traditions.
Thanksgiving traditions often times involve customary things that most families repeat each year, such as the traditions of Alie Rothman, a senior finance and marketing major
“I love waking up to the smell of pumpkin bread,” said Rothman as she explained her tradition of eating it for breakfast every Thanksgiving morning.
“Another tradition we’ve had for a long time is after we’re done eating dinner, my whole family gathers together to watch old home videos. It’s always so funny to see what my siblings and I were like when we were younger and all the ridiculous things we used to do,” explained Rothman.
Sophomore psychology major, Becky Warman, has a different kind of Thanksgiving than most people. Having been born in Mexico, her family integrates their Hispanic heritage with the more traditional aspects of Thanksgiving.
“Every year my whole family goes to my cousin’s house in Aventura, Florida at around 4 p.m. and eat all different kinds of delicious food. The foods range from traditional Thanksgiving dishes, but also incorporates Hispanic ones as well, including flan for dessert,” explained Warman.
Although I usually refrain from using myself as an example in my writing, seeing as Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, I’ll have to make an exception. With a very distinctive Thanksgiving holiday tradition list, I have come to regard this day with the utmost importance.
Every Thanksgiving morning, I watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade with my mom on the couch, in front of a pretty impressive fire. The day continues on with the whole family contributing something to the process of cooking the meal and I always play a little pickup game of football with my brothers. As the years have gone by, additions to my family have been made, such as my sister-in-law, but she has quickly picked up on our traditions and is now an active member in the parade watching and football throwing.
Although everyone has their own set of traditions when it comes to the Thanksgiving holiday, it’s these differences that make the day special to each family. Tradition and family are what makes this short-lived vacation one of the biggest breaks a college student looks forward to throughout the year, well maybe besides spring break.