Thanksgiving is a festive holiday where we traditionally give thanks for the blessing and harvest of the past year. In America, we also celebrate it with a variety of food. The food that’s mostly known for eating on Thanksgiving is turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and pie. Although many of us gather with their loved ones for Thanksgiving on the same day, lots of families celebrate it differently.
People like to celebrate Thanksgiving not only with food, but also with friends, family, games, or football.
Mr. Esparza, Geometry and Algebra 1 teacher, likes to celebrate with his family: “I like having big traditional family Thanksgivings like with my brother and sisters, but if I could [only] have my wife and kids, I’m okay with that [also].” Mr. Esparza’s Thanksgiving tradition is baking pumpkin pie. Other than pumpkin pie, he also likes to bake a sweet treat involving sweet potatoes on the bottom followed by marshmallows on top and pecans as a crunchy topping. When hosting a Thanksgiving dinner, he often has around 30 people who attend, including his wife and kids, family from California like his brother and sisters, and their kids and spouses. Mr. Esparza likes to celebrate not only with his own family but his wife’s extended family as well. Some years, he celebrates with his wife’s family, and other times, he will travel to California for his family.
Sophomores Aldo Delgado, Ruben Mendoza, Jaiden Villanzana Flores, and Carlos Paz all celebrate Thanksgiving in their own unique ways. A tradition they all have in common is spending time and enjoying a meal with their families. Aldo shared that Thanksgiving for him is about the people: “We all come together as a family, and we just enjoy each other’s company. It’s not about the food; it’s about family.” A tradition specific to Jaiden is that he spends a lot of time with his cousins. Both Aldo’s and Jaiden’s families share the tradition of making s’mores after dinner. Ruben said his Thanksgiving consists of not only family but friends as well, and that helps create a sense of togetherness and community. All four students enjoy many different dishes of food at Thanksgiving, but a few of their favorites include mashed potatoes, chicken, macaroni and cheese, rolls, and hot chocolate.
Thanksgiving means different things to different people. Everyone is able to enjoy Thanksgiving however they please, with family or with friends, with ham or with turkey. Unique traditions are what make this holiday so special.
