Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and we all know what that means! Its that time of the semester when professors are trying to squeeze in just one more exam and paper before our glamorous four days off with family. Thanksgiving was a time where people truly thought of how they got to where they were. Without the pilgrims gaining help from the Indians back in 1621, none of us would be here today able to have all the things we are thankful for.

Every family celebrates Thanksgiving in a different way. In some families, there is a gathering at the “head family house” (in most cases the Grandparents of the family line) and there, everyone enjoys visiting cousins, siblings, and of course the tremendous amount of cooking that goes on. Cornbread, turkey, jams, corn, and all the Thanksgiving favorites are of course staple to this gathering, but there are many not so anticipated traditions as well.

For starters, there is no hard evidence that the Pilgrims ate turkey in the first Thanksgiving. Rather, they consumed animals that the majority of us would frown upon- such as deer. There were also no cranberries to make our beloved cranberry sauces or sweet potatoes in that time. And pumpkin pie? That didn’t actually appear until the second Thanksgiving. Who is the source of all our misconceptions?

Here in NYC, the majority of us are either involved in the Thanksgiving Day parade, or are one of the people who are simply obsessed with watching it either on TV or in person. Last year, I was actually at the parade, and had the luck of seeing Jennette McCurdy on one of the floats!

Our high schools and colleges also take major part in the parade, with the Majorettes representing proudly. But after spending countless hours waiting for the Turkey to be ready and watching the parade, another American favorite is football. All the football fanatics are on their watch, keeping close eyes on games all over USA. How this football become a part of the Thanksgiving tradition? Well, the Detroit lions started it all, but now, High Schools and Colleges all over are having, what they call, ” Turkey day Games”.

So as you stress out about all you must get done in the next couple weeks, keep in mind that there is so much you have to look forward to, from the delicious food, to the Thanksgiving parade, to the next day Black Friday shopping. But don’t forget to also keep in mind how thankful you are for the people you have, the places you’ve been, and the love you have been given.