By: Will Horne
Thanksgiving is a holiday that has evolved differently in each family, with their own traditions twisted in with the ones that are centuries old.  Everyone’s Thanksgiving experience is unique to them, and it can be surprising to see how others’ own experiences are different.  The contrast is very apparent in students at Tuscarora High School.
  
Family is a very important theme in Thanksgiving for most people.  “It’s basically a whole family reunion every year”, says Megan Orlowski.  Her whole family gets together in Michigan every Thanksgiving to celebrate with each other.  This is very different from Katelynn Price’s experience.  “I just had a small thanksgiving, just our immediate family”, says Price.  Whether big or small, family is always important to celebrating Thanksgiving.
  
Another student, Sam Rodgers, had a situation that set him apart from both Megan and Katelynn.  “I ate two Thanksgiving dinners”, said Rodgers.  Sam’s family dined with both his grandparents at his house and his grandma at her house in West Virginia.  He enjoyed his Thanksgiving twice, in two diverse settings.
  While many enjoy their dinners right at home, others venture out of Virginia for their holiday.  When Megan’s family meets up in Michigan they usually have a plan of activities.  “When we go up we always go to hockey games together”, says Megan.  “My Thanksgiving was really nice this year”, she said.
Food is what makes Thanksgiving what it is.  It is a holiday that is defined by the traditional dinner that is cooked and eaten as a family.  This year Megan contributed to her family’s Thanksgiving dinner.  “I helped cook a lot of it”, said Megan.  Katelynn also pitched in for her dinner, saying she “helped make the vegetarian stuffing”.  “We always fry a turkey”, says Sam.
Though turkey is traditionally the main meal on Thanksgiving, things were a little different for Katelynn, who is a vegetarian.  “Being a vegetarian on Thanksgiving can be very restricting”, she says.  But her family accommodated for her and prepared vegetarian stuffing and other non-meat courses.
Every family has their own thing they do that is a part of every Thanksgiving dinner.  “We always eat the cranberry sauce out of the can”, said Sam.  This tradition affects the feel of his Thanksgiving dinner. In the Price home their tradition takes place just before the meal.  “Before we have dinner we always go around and say what we are thankful for”, says Katelynn. 
Whether you’re thankful for your family or you’re just happy to not to be in school, most can pick out a certain thing they liked best about their Thanksgiving.  Megan loves the feeling after eating her meal.  “It’s probably the best feeling in the world: being stuffed, happy, and able to sleep”, she says. Katelynn is still looking forward to her favorite part after her dinner.  “I like the pumpkin pie the best”, she says, “My dad makes awesome pumpkin pie.”
   Enough differences can be seen in just these 3 students of Tuscarora High School to get the picture that Thanksgiving this year was special for everyone, so don’t be afraid to ask a friend what they did for their holiday.