Thanksgiving

There's no day quite like Turkey Day; it's the one time of the year when we can throw gluttony out the window and take time to pause, reflect, and give thanks for the blessings that have been bestowed upon our lives – while gorging ourselves with the traditional staples of turkey, cranberry relish, mashed potatoes, etc. Like many Americans, my Thanksgiving is quite traditional and just as relaxing.

Each year on Thanksgiving I spend a good amount of time researching the history of the holiday. This is because history has always intrigued me and there are a lot of interesting facts to be discovered about Thanksgiving. For instance, technically speaking, the first Thanksgiving was actually celebrated by the Spaniards. After brushing up on my knowledge of the holiday, I like to spend the remainder of the day playing video games and watching movies. I do this until around 6:30, when my mother reemerges from the kitchen and tells us that dinner is ready. After 6 hours of cooking, she and my family are ready for a feast. All the traditional foods are there: turkey, mashed potatoes, squash, corn, dumplings, and cranberry relish. Once we're all situated around the dinner table, we say grace and then take turns telling what we're thankful for.

After a delicious dinner, I like to help clear the table and then proceed to relax for the rest of the evening.