November just started, so you know what that means… it’s time for Thanksgiving!
Not just the start of the Christmas season as many people treat it to be. The second the clock strikes midnight on Nov. 1, Halloween is out and Christmas is in. With that being said, Thanksgiving is overlooked. However, it has a lot to offer, such as specific foods, traditions and special events like the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade and TV specials.
Many recipes and foods don’t get time to shine until Thanksgiving. There are yams, pumpkin pie, pecan pie, stuffing, whole turkeys, cranberry sauce, gravy and many more to look forward to. There are also traditions such as breaking the wishbone for good luck, taking a nap after the large feast and going around and saying what you’re thankful for.
The holiday also brings the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade which has been going on every year since 1924. The Macy’s parade has many performers such as Aretha Franklin in 1967, floats such as Santa Claus multiple years and balloons such as SpongeBob Square Pants in 2017 and the Underdog in 1965. The National Dog Show is aired on NBC directly after the Macy’s parade. Dogs are divided into breeds and compete against each other in different rounds for best breed standards. As a tradition, both the Detroit Lions and the Dallas Cowboys play home games on Thanksgiving Day. Thundercloud Subs hosts the Turkey Trot, a five-mile run throughout downtown Austin with various starting times from 9:30-9:50 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day.
Famous television specials are made for Thanksgiving such as “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” which has the classic “Thanksgiving Theme” song in it. The tradition of Lucy holding the football for Charlie Brown to kick then pulling it away, causing Charlie Brown to fall on his back and Snoopy the beagle serving the gang of friends a Thanksgiving feast. “Friends” also has a Thanksgiving episode in each of its 10 seasons, including “The One With the Football” and “The One With All the Thanksgivings.” The teen drama, “Gossip Girl” also has some memorable specials with the dinner scene of the episode “The Treasure of Serena Madre,” sparking a TikTok trend of people at the Thanksgiving table getting up and walking away after being asked a question or told something they don’t want to hear since this is what happens in the episode.
Thanksgiving as a holiday has a lot to offer whether it be its tradition, food, parades, television specials and more. Although Halloween and Christmas are major holidays, Thanksgiving shouldn’t just be buried in their shadows but rather treated as a major holiday, too.
