Thanksgiving means different things to different people. For some it’s a time to show gratitude for family, friends, accomplishments, to help other people and be thankful for what you have.
After Halloween most people seem to think more about Christmas and forget about Thanksgiving, but I think it’s a great holiday that everyone should celebrate and spend it with friends and family.
Thanksgiving is important for me and my family and we certainly celebrate it every year. For me and my family, Thanksgiving is about spending time with the family and appreciating that we are all able to come together. We like having a huge dinner with all the family and giving gratitude for what we have. It usually varies in where the Thanksgiving dinner takes place each year.
Every year we choose one house to host the dinner in and we send invitations to our whole family. The invitation includes things that everyone can bring for dinner like food, snacks, plates, or spoons and forks. Usually everyone brings about one or two things like turkey, ham, smash potatoes, gravy, chips, veggies, drinks. Some have to drive from far away just to get together like Los Banos, Santa Maria, and San Francisco.
Usually we put tables together so that it becomes a long table and we all sit together while eating our food. While the food is cooking the kids are playing, adults and teens are sitting outside together having a conversation. Something we love to do is make a big charcuterie table for the whole family to eat while the food is being made.
This year Thanksgiving is going to be in Salinas at my aunt’s house and I am very excited to spend time with my family and eat delicious food.
People start getting to the house at 4 pm. Everyone helps cook the meal and organize. Women are inside cooking, while men are outside cleaning, organizing, and talking. We start eating at 7 pm, but before we all say what we are thankful for. After dinner everyone usually does their own thing like the kids play video games, while everyone else is outside talking to each other. It ends at around 12 am.
If people travel, they usually stay over in my house or my other family member’s home and when I travel I do the same. The next day we all come together to eat the leftovers which is a little tradition we do for every family gathering we have.
Having this dinner makes us more united as a family and that is one of the many reasons why we celebrate it. This tradition means being together with people you love and spending time with those who you don’t see often because they live far away. Although many people don’t feel excitement for Thanksgiving, it makes me feel happy, more positive, and grateful for what I have.
