Thanksgiving Traditions and Excitement Fill the Halls of GHS

Thanksgiving Break is only four days away and students are counting down the days until they get to celebrate Thanksgiving break with family and friends and go Black Friday shopping.

“Every year for Thanksgiving, I usually celebrate with my immediate family at my house with Thanksgiving food prepared by my mom and dad,” said junior Courtney Bondar. “But this year is different. I am celebrating with my parents, my two uncles, and my boyfriend at my house for an early Thanksgiving.”

“I am very excited for Thanksgiving break and dinner this year! I will be celebrating with my family, and we will be hosting at my house,” sophomore Kaitlyn Delong said.  

“My family always drives down to my grandma’s house for Thanksgiving. On Thanksgiving morning, my grandma already starts cooking the turkey. My cousin and I always break the wishbone (I usually win). At about noon, my cousins, brothers, and I go hiking, throw a frisbee or something, while the rest of the adults watch football. At about three or so, we all sit down to eat,” freshman Sarah Iselin said. “Then we sit around and watch TV or play games for the rest of the day. It’s all really fun and some quality time I get to spend with my family.”

Students feast on different foods each year on Thanksgiving.

“The food normally consists of: turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, wild rice, asparagus and pumpkin pie for dessert,” Bondar said.

“There’s, of course, turkey, and my grandma makes great stuffing. There’s mashed potatoes and gravy and my aunt makes fluff, which we all love, and more,” Iselin said.

“I love all the traditional Thanksgiving food we eat, from turkey to mashed potatoes, to cranberries to stuffing, and pie of all types,” social studies teacher Whitney Dawe-Crahen said.

Thanksgiving break is very busy for many who travel.

“I typically celebrate Thanksgiving with food and family.  I usually drive to Wisconsin Rapids to visit my mom’s side of the family including my sister and this year my new niece,” said Dawe-Crahen. “Then, I head to Madison for Thanksgiving dinner with my Dad.  Our celebration is usually centered around catching up, watching some football, and of course, food.”

Black Friday has been a tradition for many, whether it’s shopping at 10 pm Thanksgiving night or shopping all day, store to store, on Black Friday. However, some students do not like Black Friday.

“My first time going Black Friday shopping, was last year in New York. It was very crazy and unbelievably hard to actually shop because people were everywhere and everything was being bought out!” said Bondar. “Yes the crowds might be a lot, but in Greendale it’ll be more manageable than what I dealt with last year! I will be Black Friday shopping this year.”

“I have no desire whatsoever to go Black Friday shopping: it’s busy, it’s crowded, it takes forever to try and do anything, and overall sounds like a miserable experience. I understand that people really want to take advantage of all the deals and get a jump on Christmas shopping, but I feel that it’s all a hassle. This would definitely be a no for me,” stated Iselin.

However, Thanksgiving is more than just the food and the shopping.

“Well, I think we’ve all heard the story about how the pilgrims came to America and the Native Americans helped them learn how to hunt and farm, and how they all had a big meal together naming it the first Thanksgiving,” said Iselin.  “What really makes it special to me is just being able to see my family and spend a few days with them. We get to do a lot of fun things together, having fun, despite not seeing each other very often.”

“I feel by celebrating Thanksgiving, it lets us remember all the hardships that were endured in order to give us freedom,” Bondar stated.  

“I think the best part about Thanksgiving is the quality time I get to spend with my family,” Iselin concluded.