Thanksgiving’s Not All About That Baste
"You can't have Thanksgiving without turkey. That's like the Fourth of July without apple pie, or Friday with no two pizzas" (Friends). While some might argue this anecdote (spoken by Joey Tribbiani) captures the essence of Thanksgiving — a historically rich and long-established holiday — it fails to recognize the diverse ways that people celebrate it in today’s world.
Most Americans commemorate the first Thanksgiving — which began when a group of religious refugees landed on Plymouth Rock and befriended the Native Americans there, who helped them survive the harsh winter — with turkey, pumpkins, football and family. However, many people celebrate this holiday in atypical ways that don’t fall within the ‘American stereotype.’ Which brings up the question: can a holiday such as Thanksgiving be celebrated in so many unique ways and still stay true to its historical roots? Well, to answer that, I turned to the members of the JCHS community, and inquired how they celebrate the holiday.
Ms. Rubin explained to me that she celebrates Thanksgiving in a more traditional sense — namely, watching “The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade” with her family. Many students mentioned traditions such as family board games like Monopoly or Scrabble, as well as thousand-piece puzzles they work on together. Additionally, other families like Alex Garrow’s watch football as an alternative to the parade — a tradition that’s also a common practice among Americans. However, in my case, instead of watching football, my cousins and I play the real thing. Every year, we engage in a “Girls vs. Boys” football game in my grandparents’ backyard. These differences go to show how many variances there are in how people celebrate the famed American holiday.
Although one might think that at least the foods people eat on Thanksgiving are all the same, everyone has their own family recipes. While the more traditional foods consist of pumpkin pie, mashed potatoes and turkey, Eli Moldavsky always has shepherd's pie on Thanksgiving. Often, people take traditional foods and give them a twist. For example, Alex Garrow’s family eats tater tots instead of mashed potatoes. My family isn’t exactly full of pumpkin lovers, so we substitute chocolate chip cookie pie for pumpkin pie.
Despite the many different traditions, recipes, and ways to celebrate this holiday, each of them share one distinguishing factor: unity. Regardless of whether or not you play football or watch it, Thanksgiving is about spending time with loved ones and appreciating them. The main message of Thanksgiving, at least in my humble opinion, is not its historic origin of surviving together, but of thriving together, embracing our differences and of always being grateful for those that enable you to thrive.
