Thanksgiving break is coming up and students are going wild! With our first long break of the school year it’s easy to understand why.
Being one of the most diverse schools in the county, Urbana features a wide variety of Thanksgiving traditions amongst students and staff, how does Urbana’s Thanksgiving shape up?
The most common aspect of tradition on Thanksgiving almost always revolves around food.
With so many places to order from and a Giant grocery store in the center of Urbana, it’s easy to see why people get so excited for their Thanksgiving meals.
Sophia Houston (Class of 2026) said her family cooks from their heritage. “My family prepares classic Salvadorian food, it’s so good” she said.
Giant features a variety of foods displayed for the holidays, as well as offering packaged discounts and more!
While eating may be fun, many at UHS enjoy preparing the food just as much! Faculty icon and Front Office Secretary Mrs. Rose Ann Shapiro noted cooking to be her favorite tradition, “specifically making chocolate cream pie” she added.
Aside from chocolate cream pie, common Thanksgiving favorites seem to generally include mashed potatoes, bread rolls, and turkey or ham.
Not everyone seems to be such a huge fan of cooking on the special day. Staff delight and Front Office Secretary Mrs. Amy Roundy described her favorite food on the holiday coming from, “Cattail Country Club.”
Notably, Mrs. Roundy mentioned her unique style of eating Thanksgiving food saying, “I really just like to get in there and mix everything together.”
Not all foods are created equal. An unpopular classic? Cranberry Sauce.
Both Houston and Roundy separately mentioned their disdain for the dish, with their opinions corroborated by off the record interviews as well.
Turkey, despite its common prevalence and association with the holiday remains in question.
Shapiro described the tradition of eating turkey as “inhumane, with the mass production” adding, “I don’t think that many people truly love turkey.”
Spending time with family is the most important aspect of Thanksgiving, yet not everyone has the ability to.
Relating to this Houston told us, “traveling is definitely my favorite activity.”
With family, food, and football usually at the forefront of everyone’s traditions many smaller ones seem to go unnoticed.
“I think playing board games with your family is highly underrated,” Shapiro commented.
A personal favorite tradition is that of ‘Friendsgiving‘, where students have a Thanksgiving potluck styled feast with their own group of friends.
With so many diverse elements from family to family on this holiday, it’s important to understand why we celebrate it in the first place and to use the day for joy!
