Thanksgiving is a time for family and friends to get together and celebrate all that makes them thankful. Traditions and memories are shared and good food is eaten. 

The first thing that comes to mind when thinking of dishes served on Thanksgiving is turkey but a variety of food is cooked and eaten. Some people eat ham as well as, or instead of turkey. Sweet potatoes, dressing and stuffing, green beans and other vegetables can also be a part of a Thanksgiving feast. 

Emily Hatch, junior biology major, said there are two dishes she enjoys the most on Thanksgiving. 

“Mashed potatoes and stuffing,” Hatch said. “Hands down, they are the highlight of my Thanksgiving feast.” 

Nikki Cummins, junior criminology major, said she has two different dishes that stick out in her mind. 

“Sausage balls for sure, but our turkey is a family recipe,” Cummins said. “We have been working on it for years. It is a whole process, and we take pride in that.” 

Allison Crow, junior finance major, said her family always has a variety of delicious food to choose from on Thanksgiving. 

“My mom makes green bean casserole and sweet potato casserole,” Crow said. “We also always have shoepeg corn casserole with cranberry sauce, and Sister Schubert rolls, and my aunt always brings the yummiest chess squares, brownies and cookies.” 

“My dad gets up in the early hours of the morning to smoke the turkey,” Crow said. “He basically does not sleep.”

With food comes traditions, and Thanksgiving is one of the many holidays where every family has their own traditions and makes their own memories each year. Family is a major focal point for holidays like this one.

Mary Hannah Swan, sophomore education major, said her family always loves getting together on Thanksgiving. 

“We go to my great aunt’s for Thanksgiving,” Swan said. “It is a fun time. It’s a giant family reunion in Pensacola, so we leave really early in the morning and drive back late that night.” 

Crow said a lot of her family comes to Starkville for the holidays. 

“My dad’s side of the family comes from Georgia, Tupelo, Florida, and Arizona,” Crow said. “We all eat lunch together, watch football, visit, and nap. Then, we stuff ourselves at dinner again with leftovers.”

Hatch said one memory she has of a past Thanksgiving involved a scary situation with the turkey her family was planning to eat. 

“Once, we tried frying the turkey, and it almost exploded,” Hatch said. “The men came and got the turkey and took it out back. They went to lower it into the fryer, and fire erupted around it. It almost caught the tarp over it on fire as well.” 

“Thankfully, only the end of the turkey was damaged,” Hatch said, “and after letting it thaw some more and drying it properly, it was cooked and eaten. We never did it again though.” 

Even accidents can turn into some of the best holiday memories. 

Many families celebrate Thanksgiving differently. Some watch football after being stuffed with turkey while some watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Others eat and then do nothing for the rest of the day, except maybe take a nap. 

Marcie from “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving,” said it best when she said what the holiday is really about: “Thanksgiving is more than eating, Chuck. We should just be thankful for being together.”