Thanksgiving Traditions

Thanksgiving is around the corner, and soon TFC students can recharge and prepare for the last stretch of the semester. We hope that withthis break come great food, loving family, and traditions. But what traditions do we choose to celebrate? As I asked a few students around campus, I found nothing really stood out to them in terms of being unique or special. Some even had to work for most Thanksgiving holidays. I soon realized that it was the same for me. There seems to be consensus that simply gathering and eating food is the cookie cutter tradition of Thanksgiving. But even though the actions of gathering and eating are the same, the way they play out in each family can differ greatly. I got a chance to interview LaShay King, a senior at TFC majoring in Cross Cultural Adult Education, and this is what she had to say:

"Thanksgiving to me is family time and an opportunity to stuff my face. Mainly though it’s the family, and I enjoy this time because it’s just comfortable and warm. Just thinking about it has already made me think of the food I’ll get to eat -- I can just smell it, taste it already. Watching football is also a major thing we do, and the family can be divided. Also, you know there is that one uncle that is just knocked out on the couch from eating too much. My most favorite dish is a combination of dishes called Mac-and-yams. This combination is where it's at. My sister and I always look forward to making it. We used to go to Miami because my family was from the Bahamas, and we knew that our uncles loved to drink. Our Mom would give us this sort of talk telling us not to accept any liquor. We could tell once the after party started, and that’s when we would be offered drinks and we had to just politely say 'no'. In the Bahamas, the legal drinking age was 16 at the time, so to them it was okay to offer it to us and I always thought it funny. My best memory of Thanksgiving was when we met at our aunt’s house in Atlanta, and after eating and talking my aunt decided to put some music and we started a soul train. It was so fun, and it was a time to just show off our best and worst moves. I loved that night and its one of my best memories." -LaShay King

The simple act of gathering family and eating food is not a novel idea. But the food you eat is different from others, the jokes and stories told by your family are unique, and the pictures that you will take are special to your family. So even though we do the same actions, it doesn’t mean that those actions don’t have their own identity. I found it unifying that many people celebrate this holiday to gather their families and give thanks for all they have received. So even though I didn’t find anyone with any extraordinary traditions, I enjoyed hearing the ordinary stories of families gathering. Hearing the unity among family and friends is enjoyable and only got me excited to enjoy family, food, and ordinary traditions. I hope you readers will do the same.