What do people do for Thanksgiving as a tradition?

Travel

Most people travel around the world to see family.  Thanksgiving is the busiest travel day of the year.

Thanksgiving Feast

The Feast!  A big part of Thanksgiving is the feast. Traditional foods are turkey, stuffing, gravy, and sweet potatoes.

Wish Bone

The wish bone.  Some families take the wishbone from a turkey and have two people hold on to each side of the wishbone, make a wish and PULL!  Whoever gets the bigger part of the bone gets their wish.

Turkey Pardon

Every year at Thanksgiving the President of the United States gets a gift of a living turkey (there are alternates in case something happens to the official turkey).  At a white house ceremony the president traditionally “Pardons” the National Thanksgiving Turkey and the alternates, allowing them to live out the rest of their lives on a farm.

Doing Service to Others

Many generous people take thanksgiving as an opportunity to help the less fortunate.  Some people volunteer at the homeless shelters, donate to shelters, or participate in canned food drives.

TV

Most people watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade.  Along with football, most people watch TV on Thanksgiving.

After the Feast

People do their own activities, most include taking naps, take a walk after such a big meal, or just play card games or board games.

Fast Fun Facts                                                                          

• Ripe Cranberries bounce
• All turkeys and Chickens have wishbones
• Canadians celebrate their own Thanksgiving every October
• Abraham Lincoln declared a national day of Thanksgiving in 1863
• The first Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade was held in 1924