A Comparison Of The Holidays In Thanksgiving, Christmas And New Year's Eve Traditions?

One such tradition is not socializing with neighbors but only talking to her sisters or other family members. Both of my great-grandparents came from a large family and so the Sunday was always considered family day. It was nothing to see a yard off of kids playing or see the men playing a game of horseshoes as the women would set out the dinner. However, it was the winter time that holds the most memories for my mother. It was then that the families would all gather at the family pond and go ice skating and the men would build a big fire and everyone would stand around and drink hot chocolate. One such tradition in the winter time was right after the first snow fall of the season. We would take a big mixing bowl and go out and fill that bowl as full as we could. Then she would go in and make a big bowl of snow ice cream (Food in Every County). One bright sunny day, our family was going to Lake Pomme De Terre for a family picnic. Like Shteyngart, I was all set for some grilled hamburgers or hot dogs or even some fried chicken. However, that was not meant to be. Like Shteyngart, is aw food being set out that was I saw food that was familiar to my great-grandmother’s culture. Instead of grilling hamburgers, she set out chicken and noodles, mashed potatoes, green beans and for dessert a shoofly pie, sugar cookies, and schnitz pie, which is made with dried apples (Food in Every County). My mother laughed when she saw my face because later my

Every family story and origin is unique to the members of the immediate group, while including the traditions passed from generation to generation. From the scent of their house and clothes, special holidays, vacation spots, memories, what they eat and how it is served; all of these elements of life are distinct to a family. These elements are incorporated into what is viewed as normal life in a way that we don’t see how our lives differ from those around us, until we are faced with a situation where things are done differently than us. Many families contain multi - cultural backgrounds, therefore providing generations with traditions that include folklore from different origins. One of the biggest elements of culture how dishes are served and prepared. If you ever travel, one of the biggest attractions to a new environment is the food that is served in that area. Some food traditions are difficult to explain and don’t make sense to outsiders, but to the family or local group it is a sense of definition and unity through foodways.

For this week’s discussion, I decided to continue focusing on family relationships. Thanksgiving is two days away; it will also be my dad’s 50th birthday tomorrow so we are throwing a huge surprise party for him. The holidays are a time we spend with family enjoying each other’s companies. The reason I chose this topic is due to the difference my family compared to my husband’s side of the family. After reading Chapter ten I could learn more about the concepts to have a better understanding of why that is and of the concepts involved.

As the holiday season is coming nearer each day, I found it appropriate to look further into the traditional Thanksgiving topic. I can only describe what my family does, my Puerto Rican and Caucasian family. As far as I can say, we are not necessarily traditional with our celebration of Thanksgiving. So I figured why not use this assignment as a way to further look into the holiday and how it is celebrated across America, this can mean anything from families celebrating it in their homes, to the retail shops of the country selling holiday/seasonal items to go along with the tradition. I would like to examine the traditions of thanksgiving.

Holidays are always celebrated no matter religion, beliefs, or culture. Some are recognized more than others but none two are as highly recognized like the cherished Christmas and Thanksgiving holidays. The pair may seem vastly different, as they are two completely separate occasions, but in actuality they do share very similar attributes. Many of the similarities and differences are about to be explained, so here goes.

To my understanding, the movie Home for the Holidays not only reveals a lot of potential family conflicts, but also reflects a lot of different communication approaches of the various family members. As a foreigner, I have never experienced Thanksgiving homecoming dinner before, so I may cannot understand some of the holiday customs in the movie, but I found out that their family interactions are interesting indeed.

“The Magic of a Family Meal” by Nancy Gibbs is an enlightening article that convinces the audience that enjoying the company of family during meal time benefits all members emotionally, spiritually, and health wise. Gibbs main point states, “This [the family meal] is where the tribe comes to transmit wisdom, embed expectations, confess, conspire, forgive, repair” (209). Families gathering for meals have the unique opportunity to become closer and favorably impact one another. This thesis enhances the tone overall. The tone of this essay is construed as encouraging and positive. Gibbs’ attitude is

For families across the United States, Thanksgiving is a holiday to come together with family and loved ones to celebrate the good things life has to offer. Before analyzing my own family’s Thanksgiving festivities, I hadn’t given much thought to way we celebrate and what the underlying meanings of our actions are. While some of the traditions of the holiday say something about our society as a whole, I was also able to view the implicit meanings of my family’s specific actions. This analysis made me realize that while our society is attempting to move forward and break norms, they are still heavily present within our everyday subconscious actions and holiday traditions. Although I am grateful I was able to come to this realization, it

After all a truly intelligent mind could be playing video games or running around endlessly with your cousins playing your own football games and other sports. I followed this train of thought for many Thanksgivings, until the point when I realized that I did not have an inextinguishable amount of energy any more, and that I could not be part of that much physical activity without feeling as old as my father the next morning. So after weighing these problems, I realized that the men in my immediate family and I should really consider spending time with family members we do not see on a regular basis. I have never been particularly close with any one in my extended relation, so I figured what better way strengthen my relationship with my family than to share in this excellent tradition. (Stock)

On the edge of winter comes November, introducing early evenings, brisk air, and leafless trees, but before winter settles in, Thanksgiving must come in. While there are some constants in the way we observe the day, it is certain that America’s once most treasured holiday has gone down in the past years. Many stores today, are already skipping Thanksgiving, and heading straight to Christmas because retail stores are more concerned with their profits than the bonding time of families across the world. However, it is critically important to understand the benefits Thanksgiving introduces to the world. Whatever one’s view is, people should continue to celebrate Thanksgiving for its strengthening of families, and its benefits to the economy.

My feelings about the occasion starts with an outward positive aspect of the event as it brought a sense of harmony creating an opportunity to bond. Encouraging involvement in the preparation of family meals creating a sense of tradition while assisting in bridging the gap between generations. Stories that were told gave children a sense of family values with a deeper acceptance. Although it was never mentioned, this was an occasion that stimulated healthy communication coupled with healing. One can even look at this event as being a casual commitment to make time for one another offering support and a sense of identity. Truly, this time meant having a thankful attitude about life which is more inward than outward. Its means to be content giving God praise for everything in my life. Joy and sincerity was also a reality reassuring us as we devoted ourselves to food and fellowship putting stress and conflict behind us. Likewise, it meant a time of preparation, participation, and an opportunity to reconnect with our beliefs and values. It also meant having a feast with turkey, pumpkin pie, and more.

In many ways current American cultural beliefs and norms related to gatherings and traditions are similar to those of non-industrialized societies. Examples of family gatherings that we in our American society share include; Thanksgiving, Super bowl parties, and Christmas dinner. Christmas dinner however is based on religious beliefs so we will leave it out of this discussion for the purpose of in composing all American citizens in the discussion.

Dinnertime was designated as family time and was not only a time to nourish ones body but also a time of socialization of family members that included multiple generations. There was fresh produce served, much that came from our own backyard, which was a pride of my dad the gardener. Holidays were a time for home cooked meals, gathering, and sharing with extended family that gave way to building relationships and traditions. Sunday was a time for worship and relaxation. Supporting health through exercise was important to our family and was demonstrated through swimming, boating, organized sports, outdoor play and walking to school.

There are holidays in every culture where the food is the focal point. For example, the most important tradition involving food in the U.S. is Thanksgiving. According to a 2015 poll, 95% of people in the U.S. spend Thanksgiving with their families.“Thanksgiving by the Numbers.” Fox Business, Fox Business, 23 Nov. 2016. This is because people in the U.S. grew up making memories with their families, and they want to make more memories with their children. These traditions are important to people because they make them nostalgic, so it’s necessary for people to take a break and spend time with their families.