Students share Thanksgiving traditions

While Thanksgiving is a national holiday, that doesn’t mean everyone celebrates it the same way.

Sometimes having small families means you have a small close knit dinner, while others celebrate the holiday with their extended family and have close to thirty people in one home.

For other students, location is a factor in how they celebrate their Thanksgiving.

Besides offering a week off of classes, the Thanksgiving holiday break allows Lipscomb students to reflect on many traditions, some that may be a little comical.

“My grandpa always cuts the turkey and manages to cut his finger every year,” said Amber Leach a junior finance major from Jackson, Ohio.

While some may have unique or crazy traditions, Leach says her Thanksgiving is pretty consistent.

“We always break the wishbone, and it’s always at my house,” she said.

Some families like to celebrate Thanksgiving as a big family meal, with turkey, stuffing, pumpkin pie and anything else you might think of as traditional.

On the other hand, a few Lipscomb students say that their families use it as a way to prepare for Christmas.

“We always make plans for Christmas at Thanksgiving,” said sophomore Jessica Royster, a psychology major from Fayetteville, Tenn. “We do things like swap names for gifts and make sure everyone knows what they’re bringing for dinner.”

She also gets a luxury that many students would love to have: two Thanksgiving dinners.

“I go to my grandmother’s on my step-dad’s side, and then I go to my dad’s for a second Thanksgiving.”

Royster says her Thanksgivings are usually more traditional and family-oriented, while Christmas is when the fun comes out.

“My dad always has to buy everyone a gag gift,” says Royster.

Living in Philadelphia, junior nursing major Jamie De gets to do a little more than just watch the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on her television.

“Some years we’ll just watch the parade on TV,” De said, “but most years we’ll take the train from Philadelphia and go to the parade in New York City.”

De’s family also doesn’t like to wait until December to start getting ready for Christmas.

“We also decorate for Christmas,” she said. “I like to think of it as Christmas without the presents.”