The Thanksgiving holiday not only brings together families but the diverse activities that they do together on Thanksgiving. In a recent Milestone survey, students shared their top 10 activities to enjoy during this part of the holiday season.
1. Visit Extended Family
With Covid being around for so nearly two years, many students haven’t been able to see their extended families. This upcoming Thanksgiving is a great time to see familiar faces and reconnect with older family members. Freshman Billy Meltebrink said, “We always visit our cousins in Findlay, Ohio, every year. We sometimes go there, and they sometimes come to visit us.”
2. Watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving’s Day Parade
The Macy’s Thanksgiving’s Day Parade, one of the most popular parades in America, is having its 95th performance this Thanksgiving. The parade will feature 15 giant balloons, 28 floats, 36 inflatables, more than 800 clowns, 10 marching bands, and nine performance groups. Students can watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving’s Day Parade on NBC, Thanksgiving morning on November 25 from 9 a.m. – noon.
3. Watch Thanksgiving’s Day Themed Movies or TV Specials
Students can watch Thanksgiving’s Day themed movies such as A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving and other classics. Many are available for streaming through Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime.
4. Break the Wishbone of a Turkey
Everyone knows the old custom of breaking the wishbone of a turkey on Thanksgiving, but not everyone knows where it started. It originated from an ancient tribe in Italy called the Etruscans who believed that birds could predict the future. They would kill chickens and wish upon the wishbone for good luck. When Romans contacted them, the Romans kept their tradition and passed it along to the English, whose settlers left England and founded America.
5. Go on a Trip
Some students also take vacation to popular vacation destinations like New York City or Orlando, Florida, instead of having a big Thanksgiving dinner.
6. Volunteer for a Charitable Organization
Other students enjoy spending their Thanksgiving, working at soup kitchens or food pantries like the Over the Rhine Soup Kitchen and the Freestore Foodbank.
7. Cook or Bake with your Family
A few students even enjoy cooking and baking with their families. Freshman Ava Wille said, “In my family we have a cake that my grandparents make and it’s called the ‘special occasion cake’.” For a Thanksgiving day treat that can be for breakfast or dessert, check out freshman Kennedy Kramer’s “How to” for pumpkin chocolate chip muffins by clicking here.
8. Watch the National Dog Show
The National Dog Show was founded in 1879 as the Kennel Club of Philadelphia Dog Show until it was rebranded by NBC in 2002. It features seven different groups of dogs and over 205 different breeds of dogs can appear. Students can watch the National Dog Show on NBC, November 25 from noon – 2 p.m.
9. Getting Ready for Christmas
It seems that Christmas comes earlier and earlier each year and for most families, Thanksgiving is the tipping point for putting up Christmas decorations. Freshman Allie Bird said that her family watches Christmas movies and sets up Christmas lights on the Thanksgiving.
10. Watching Football
Although quite obvious, most students and their families spend their Thanksgivings watching football. Junior Charlie Keith said that his family always enjoys watching Thanksgiving football. The games this year will be the Chicago Bears vs. the Detroit Lions at 12:30 p.m., the Las Vegas Raiders vs. the Dallas Cowboys at 4:30 p.m., and the Buffalo Bills vs. the New Orleans Saints at 8:20 p.m. These can all be found on the NFL channel.
The McNicholas Milestone 