Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on the third Thursday of November, but many families celebrate the holiday differently. With over 2,000 students at WHHS, there are a multitude of ways families celebrated Thanksgiving this year.

Thanksgiving originates back to the 17th century. Abraham Lincoln proclaimed Thanksgiving as a national holiday on Oct. 3, 1863. On this holiday of feasting and gathering with family, the average person consumes 3,150-4,500 calories. The iconic main dish, the turkey, is even eaten at the White House with two turkeys being sent there each year and about 40 million more to households all around America. 

What do WHHS students eat for Thanksgiving?

“I ate roasted potatoes, mac n’ cheese, brisket, broccoli and cranberry sauce on Thanksgiving,” Jonathan Moody, ‘24 said. Moody’s family wanted to substitute turkey with another food for their main dish, just like 64% of Americans, according to wallethub.com. 

Instead of celebrating Thanksgiving at home, about 37% of Americans planned to travel on Thanksgiving Day. 

“I traveled to Indianapolis for Thanksgiving,” Rebekah Alan, ‘28 said. Alan celebrated Thanksgiving with her grandparents and cousins.

On Thanksgiving people don’t just feast; they also play games, watch football or chat with family and friends. Since 1876, the Thanksgiving football tradition started with a game between rivals, Yale and Princeton. Forty-four years later, in 1920, the NFL first started to play games on Thanksgiving. Another popular televised event is the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, which began in 1924. The route of the parade stretched 2.5 miles and the parade had over 8,000 participants this year. These activities are a few of the many activities students and families can partake in on Thanksgiving day.

“My cousins and I made some Thanksgiving crafts that our grandpa set up for us,” Jane Schlaudecker, ‘27 said. Schlaudecker visited her grandparents in Cincinnati for Thanksgiving.

Some WHHS students’ families may not celebrate Thanksgiving, but some still get together to see family due to the time off from school or work.

“I don’t celebrate thanksgiving. I just had a get-together with my family since we all have the time off,” Grey Curioso, ‘26 said. “We ate mostly traditional Filipino food, but [also] some non-Filipino foods, like mashed potatoes and brownies.”