Thanksgiving is a prominent holiday that has been celebrated for generations. 

The first-ever Thanksgiving was held on November 23, 1621.

This gathering was celebrated between the pilgrims who had arrived in Plymouth, Massachusetts, and the Native Americans who resided in that area. It became an official holiday about 200 years later. 

In modern Thanksgiving celebrations, many people visit relatives, watch parades, and eat a wide variety of food, such as turkey, mashed potatoes, assorted vegetables, bread, and more to commemorate the time shared and in honor of tradition. 

“We eat a big meal with our family that includes grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. We are all local so we just get to go to grandparents a few minutes away. We have a traditional turkey and ham with all the sides and desserts,” said sophomore Emma Baker. 

To many families across the country, Thanksgiving is a holiday held near and dear to them. 

“Thanksgiving is important to my family because it gives us an opportunity to all be together with people being away at college, share a meal together, and enjoy our time together,” Baker said. 

In addition to a typical Thanksgiving gathering, some spend ample time with their friends with a Friendsgiving celebration. 

“I like celebrating Friendsgiving because I’m celebrating with my friends instead of my family, which is what Thanksgiving usually is. The good thing about it is that I can celebrate both if I wanted to and have that fellowship with my friends,” said homeschooled sophomore Chloe Monasterio. 

A Thanksgiving event being held by FVHS is the Key Club Thanksgiving food drive. This is a good opportunity to get volunteer hours while helping those in need.

Nowadays, Thanksgiving seems to be overlooked with Christmas approaching around the corner. After Halloween, stores begin to push their Christmas stock, and Christmas music begins to play. To some, this is all part of the Thanksgiving holiday.

“Yes, I think Thanksgiving is overlooked because of Christmas. I am guilty of doing this because I love Christmas,” said sophomore Kenadi Johnson.

After Thanksgiving, Black Friday sales go on in stores, and most people do their Christmas shopping during the sales.  

“Now that I think about it, Black Friday does defeat the purpose of being thankful because you are buying new things and thinking of what you don’t have instead of what you do have,” said Johnson.

Despite this, Thanksgiving proves to be an important holiday for families across the nation to celebrate with their loved ones.