Thanksgiving Day has been celebrated as a national holiday for over 228 years. Families all over the United States eat a turkey dinner and celebrate being thankful together.

On November 23, 2017, Americans all over the United States celebrated Thanksgiving Day. The day consisted of the Macy’s Day Parade in the morning followed by football games all afternoon.

“My favorite part of Thanksgiving is the good food and spending time with my family I don’t always see,” Hannah Mueck (11) said.

Traditionally, many families will gather together in one household and eat a grand dinner. The dinner typically consists of a turkey and sides that have been in the family for centuries.

“I am thankful for everything–my family, food, and spending time together,” Aanisah Muhammad (10) said.

Thanksgiving means to give thanks. On the holiday, families celebrate what blessings have been given to them or enjoy the time they all have together.

“My family loves football so we have a new tradition where we watch the game together when we eat dinner and then go outside and play our own game,” Mueck (11) said.

Families create traditions and continue them for years to come. A tradition is something that is created because someone or a family enjoys doing something such as eating dinner or playing football together.

“The part of Thanksgiving I enjoy the most is when the food is all laid out on the table and everyone is sitting together. The energy is really high and I like all of us being together,” Muhammad (10) said.

During the holidays, stress can become really high, so when everyone works together to help complete the dinner, the energy raises back up and the stress goes down.

Thanksgiving is a tradition celebrated all over America. The pilgrims and Native Americans had the first dinner and Thanksgiving has continued for many years.