Thanksgiving is a time where people come together with their families to celebrate on the fourth Thursday of November. We asked students and staff how they celebrate Thanksgiving and whats makes it special, because people across many different backgrounds and cultures celebrate differently.

How do you celebrate Thanksgiving?

“We usually host Thanksgiving at our house. My wife’s family comes over as well. We do the meats and everyone else brings the sides, potluck style. It’s a big deal for our family,” Principal Darryl Farmer said.

“Every year family from my mom’s side comes over and we have a big Thanksgiving lunch type of meal,” Yaara Alessia (10, J&C) said.

“I go to my aunt’s house and everyone from my mom’s side goes there. We love to play card games, especially spades. The adults take it way too serious,” Trinity Daugharty (10, HSU) said.

“I go to my aunt’s house where my mom cooks the desert and my grandma always cooks the sweet potatoes,” Kennedy Hampton (10, HSU) said.

What makes Thanksgiving Special?

“After we get done eating, the kids do their own thing and the adults play a traditional Arabic ring game that gets people in the spirits of the holidays,” Alessia said. 

The ring game she is referring to is called Mheibes. It’s where one team tries to hide the ring from another team.

“We usually don’t plan any activities so we kind of freestyle which makes everything even more confusing and funny. The kids usually play Xbox,” Aidan Hofmann (10, MST) said. 

“We love to talk politics and family stuff on Thanksgiving. It’s the first thing we do every year,” Daugharty said.