Thanksgiving Reflection Paper

As I begin to recollect past experiences and events growing up, Thanksgiving is the holiday that appears most meaningful. I choose to illuminate Thanksgiving because this is a time when family and friends would forget their worries and differences and collectively came together at grandmother’s house to partake of the Gullah dishes. Furthermore, it serves as a vehicle in stimulating family health and wellbeing, while passing on the identity of the family throughout generations. As I reminiscence, I can recall the air was bursting with love, hugs, laugher and kisses; a sight to behold. Grandmother’s house was small but no one seemed to care as it was inviting. Every area of the house was utilized from the kitchen to the narrow stairway that lead upstairs to the bedrooms. Children were outside playing working up an appetite although there was a chill in the air often going unnoticed, still we were bundled in our hats, coats and mittens. This was not a formal affair but we were all neatly dressed. The house was filled with distinct smells that was heavenly. Steam came from the kitchen as finishing touches were placed on meals. Watching my aunts sweat trying to maneuver in a tight kitchen hoping to avoid bumping into one another was hilarious, but I paid close attention for one day that would be me

I feel a light tap on my shoulder as my brother, Andrew, pulls me out of my gaze. I look around, noticing the cars not in motion anymore. "We're here," Dad says, turning the car off. Shoving my phone into my pocket with the headphones wrapped sloppily around it, I focus on the house in front of us. I have only seen pictures of it on the housing website dad purchased it from. It doesn't look much different; it's still small with two stories and ugly green shutters to match the tan siding. The only thing I like about it is the small bushes lining the front. Mom used to spend hours shaping the ones at

The mouldy, rotting, brown house stood in front of Emily, only fear keeping her feet planted to the ground. Moaning and creaking noises being projected from the house. The grass was damp from the evening fog and every time she took a step the mud squelched. The bottom step squeaked as she applied pressure with her foot, she let out a sigh of relief as the old structure hadn’t swallowed her up. The door, slightly off colour from the rest of the house, loomed over her like a giant as he reached for the brass door handle. A shiver ran through her body like an electric current, the musty smell of a house that had been long abandoned filled Emily’s nose. It was dim and uninviting. The furniture dusty and old, looking as if it would crumble to dust if she was to touch it. Mould ate away at

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.

The tulips were the same as I remembered a long time ago; a dark purple like the night sky, and I used to enjoy looking at them, but over time I got tired of it. The air stings my nose, but this isn’t an uncommon thing, I never was much of an outdoor person anyways. I look at my house and notice the bricks that he laid up halfway the wall, and the columns he was so proud of making all those years ago. I look at all this and it makes me sad in a way, for all the good times I’ve had in the past; I know those days will never come back. The wind picks up getting stronger, meanwhile the grass plays gently with the blades moving back and forth along with the trees as if it was a symphony of some

Culturally Americans have accepted that Thanksgiving is a time for family to get together, so with greater emphasis being placed on social support and companionship the Thanksgiving holiday means even more (Solomon, 2013). Both our extended and nuclear family are part of that holiday, so videos like the one I selected drum up new excitement for the upcoming reunions. According to an article by The Food Channel, Thanksgiving for some goes hand in hand with family. There is an expectation of certain foods and an abundance of food. The video below is a snippet from a pastor’s sermon that was remixed. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Olu36QuHUWc

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

This week, families across our state are unboxing their Thanksgiving décor, choosing table cloths, and deciding who is going to be responsible for what dish next Thursday. It’s that time of the year when we come together, forget our family drama for at least a week and get in the holiday spirit. Unfortunately, this holiday season comes with a different taste to many. Hundreds of Iowan families and I will share our Thanksgiving meal with uncertainty, anxiety and fear.

This paper explores a discussion about the Psychological Benefits of Our Thanksgiving Rituals. Four experts in the field of psychology, who specialized in family traditions, convened in a roundtable discussion about what ritual means in the subject of Thanksgiving. The four psychologists who were involved in this discussion are: First is Anne Fishel, an associate clinical professor of psychology and author of the book “Home for dinner”, Second is Janine Roberts, a family therapist, a professor emerita of family therapy at University of Massachusetts-Amherst and author of (Family Routines and Rituals), Third is Barbara Flese, psychologist and author of (Family Routines and Rituals), and Lastly Bill Doherty, professor of family social science from The University of Minnesota. This article was written originally for The Conversation, which is a newsletter online that provides informed news analysis and commentary that can be read and republished. Published on November 24, 2015. This particular articles was republished in U.S. News World Report. In this paper, I examine the discussion between the four psychologists and critique the different views of thanksgiving rituals and how it benefits psychologically.

In many households Thanksgiving centers around cooking and sharing a bountiful meal with friends and family while the holiday parades and football games play in the background. As a child growing up, Granny’s house was where the family gathered to celebrate Thanksgiving Day with a huge feast. Several family members had to travel from out of state to spend the holiday with family and friends. The kitchen was filled with people catching up on each other lives and getting the last-minute food dishes prepared while the younger kids watched the parades on the television. Most of the guys and even a few girls could be found outdoors, playing football while the older kids cheered them on.

My family culture has been a big part of my life even through the changes my life has taken. Every year, my family celebrates Thanksgiving and Christmas. The locations and the faces may change, but the ritual of spending the holidays together remain a highlight of the year. Since living in Indiana, I have spent Thanksgiving with my father’s family in Spencer and have traveled back home to Delaware to be with my immediate family during Christmas. This has been a routine of mine for the past several years and it has allowed me to grow closer with family members I used to never see.

“Give thanks for a little and you will find a lot.” As said in www.verybestquotes.com is a perfect example of why thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, thanksgiving is the day when most people enjoy and appreciate what they have, they get together with family give to others in need like food to eat and many other goods. But the main reason I picked thanksgiving is because of the food, thanksgiving for me is described as all my favorite foods put together into one day. Thanksgiving for me is usually wake up go to twelve clock mass, at one PM we arrive at my grandma’s house at one thirty PM I start to eat and after that it gets scary.

In 1621, the pilgrims celebrated the First Thanksgiving. Pilgrims did not know then, that four hundred years later Thanksgiving would still be celebrated throughout the United States of America. Each American family celebrates Thanksgiving differently, whether they eat turkey or ham, whether they sit down at 2 o’clock or 5, or whether or not they are watching football. No matter what their tradition, each family remembers what they are thankful for. Just like the average american family on thanksgiving my family joins together to remember what we are thankful for. Not only do I come together with family, but my thanksgiving begins with the “Turkey Trot” and ends with Black Friday shopping.

It was a distinguished neighborhood, stately houses with sprawling porches made for sipping cold drinks and entertaining guests. Fourteen thirty-seven Twain Street was nestled at the far end the street. The house actually looked out of place when compared to the neighborhood, if it could even be considered a part of the neighborhood. The house was located roughly a quarter mile up the street from the closest neighbor, undiscernible from the woods that surrounded it. I stopped at the gate and regarded the worn house. It was made in the same style as the others in the neighborhood, but something about it made it different. It had character. The paint wasn’t peeling, but it had weathered the long hot sun for many a day and it had begun to form lines, giving the house the impression of a wrinkled and withered old

One of the most memorable day was last Thanksgiving Day when I flew to New York to my aunt’s house. The first thing we did when got there was to walk around and go shopping for clothes and prizes for the Thanksgiving Day games we had planned to play. The prizes were for whoever won the game