Written by Marisa K Smith
Sandwiched between the ever-popular holidays of Halloweenand Christmaslies afestivity that many Harding students claim has been overlooked by Americans in recent years.
Some lament that Wal-Mart skips directly from selling Halloween decorations to selling Christmas directions, and others say that there is hardly any Thanksgiving music available to get into the thankful spirit.
However, even if people believe that Thanksgiving is not publicized well in our culture, a high percentage of the American population still travels to celebrate the holiday with family. According to the American Automobile Association, despite record-high gas prices in 2007, an estimated 38.7 million Americans traveled 50 miles or more from home at Thanksgiving time.
Senior middle-level education major Sarah Vinzant says that Harding students give a lot of attention to the Thanksgiving holiday because they get a week off from classes to spend time with family.
“It’s obvious that students care a lot about Thanksgiving break,” she said, “because even before the break officially starts, they skip classes on Friday to get an early start on traveling home. Having a weeklong break is really nice because a weekend just isn’t long enough, especially for people who live really far away.”
In a survey of 15 Harding students, 10 said they are going home for Thanksgiving to spend time with their families. Three said they are going to gather together with family somewhere other than their home. One said he will go to a friend’s house for Thanksgiving, and another said he will spend the break with his fiancée’s family.
In the same survey, 10 students said getting to spend time with family is their favorite part about the Thanksgiving holiday. Food and relaxation time followed close behind. The one student who did not mention family said his favorite part of Thanksgiving is having time to observe the changes of the natural world.
Whether students will be spending their break watching football or Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on TV, shopping, eating turkey and pumpkin pie or using the extra time to fill out graduate school applications, most agree that the break is a time to relax and have fun with people we care about.
“My fiancé, Michael, is coming to Oklahoma where my family is gathering, so it will be our first holiday spent together,” Vinzant said. “He’ll be like a new member of the family.”
So, whether students believe the traditional Pilgrims and Indians story of mutual cooperation and sharing, or that the Pilgrims thanked not the Native Americans but God, they can agree that Thanksgiving is a time of being thankful for what we have.
“I think Thanksgiving is God’s favorite holiday,” said senior Mallory Harless, “because we just sit around with family being kind and grateful.”
If students are not sure how to celebrate this year, or if they just want to try something new, they can take a look at these Thanksgiving tips and trends of 2009:
1 Spice up the meal with non-traditional turkey recipes, such as Turkey and Cranberry Ravioli found at Foodnetwork’s Web site.
2 Incorporate grains into the menu. The National Barley Foods Council says that grains provide a healthy dose of flavor, fiber and color to complement any Thanksgiving meal.
3 Find family crafts and games at thanksgiving-party.com.
4 In addition to the traditional artificial leaves and chrysanthemums, decorate your table with bundles of spice sticks placed in vases.
5 Forget the struggling economy for a time and be mindful of your blessings.
6 Research the history of Thanksgiving Day. Find out when the first Thanksgiving occurred, who was giving thanks and for what and to whom they were grateful.
