The Psychological Benefits Of Our Thanksgiving Rituals Essay

A huge turkey piping hot on the middle of the table surrounded by stuffing, mash potatoes, cranberry sauce, bread rolls, and corn on the cob. I always thought everyone had the same type of Thanksgiving. Where everyone gets their turkey, drowns the turkey in gravy, and sits down to watch the football game. Too my surprise, that isn’t how it is for my classmates. I realize now that Thanksgiving varies in every household

Heavenly smells in the air, footballs on T.V, family is gathered around, and a comfortable homey feel of my grandmother’s house makes Thanksgiving one of my favorite meals of the year. I will always have memories of thanksgiving at my grandmothers. The smell that rushes your nose as you walk in to the house. So many mouthwatering smells go through the air at my grandmother’s thanksgiving. Her Thanksgiving dinner never fails to fulfill my expectations. With the whole family gathered and the dinner table full of delicious food, I can’t help but feel content.

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.

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

When I imagine “The First Thanksgiving”, I think of peace and harmony. Then my History complex comes in, I remember all of the rape, cannibalism, and disease spreading that happened in the years before “The First Thanksgiving” ruin my picture perfect scene. The Pilgrims did not have a farming aspect when they came to The New Colony but with the help of the Native Americans they learned how to survive. When I was younger we always were taught that this time, in history, everyone got along and they were happy. The Pilgrims came to have religious freedom and not to be treated as second class citizens. This is a notable act but they had various pathogens that they were immuned to but the Natives were not. Historians say that the pathogens that

Thanksgiving Holiday means so much to me. I love to celebrate that extended weekend with my family. On the eve of the big day, my cousins and I meet at an elder’s house and then the festivities began. This shared feast started in 1621 with the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians sharing a harvest feast ("Thanksgiving," 2016). A portion of the food can be prepared the day before. We decide who would handle what task and when it time clean up the second generation, always try to make the third generation do it. We then continue to cook and clean and reminisce of our past year. Sometimes we would bring up our childhood pranks and stories of family members that passed and present. On the day of Thanksgiving we finish cooking,

Abigail Hill wrote a paper on the influence her mother, Juanita Ray Hill, had on their family and the family rituals that she implemented. By analyzing the Hill family rituals, I have been able to also analyze the rituals I want for my future family. Creating a good home environment is essential to individual and family development and growth. Some of the family rituals from the Hill family I want to include in my family and some others I do not want to include. I want a home environment that of teamwork, responsibility, love of God, and appreciation for nature. The best way to promote these family values is to have rituals that teach and promote them.

A day before Thanksgiving in 1971 a guy that called himself Dan Cooper boarded the NorthWest Airlines on flight 305. He was in a wearing a dark suit with a black business-like tie. While Dan was in the airplane he opened a brief case and showed the flight attendant a bomb. When the plane landed in Seattle, Dan demanded $200,000 in cash, four parachutes, and food for the crew. He let the passengers off the plane but left three pilots and a flight attendant on board. The crew in the airplane headed South of Seattle while it was dark and drizzling. 45 minutes after takeoff Dan sent the flight attendant to the cockpit while he was putting on the parachute. Dan also tied the money to himself and lowered the back stairs and somewhere in Portland

It was interesting reading you essay about your take on Thanksgiving. I enjoyed how you incorporated some history about Thanksgiving in your essay. I feel that taking a moment to remember why we have Thanksgiving, and to appreciate the history is significant. “Description may be defined as the act of capturing people, places, events, objects, and feelings in words so that a reader (or listener) can visualize and respond to them.” "(K. Flachmann M. Flachmann). I feel as though you accomplished the task by combining history with personal experiences to capture the reader and maintain their attention throughout the description of Thanksgiving. I did have a picture of all the food in my head and I felt that I could almost smell the food being prepared

Ever since I was a little girl, New York City always seemed like a place that was magical. My family’s TV on Thanksgiving was always broadcasting the enormous balloons, extravagant floats, and millions of people lining the streets of the city for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. Freshman year, excited squeals and giggles erupted from my brother and I after our parents told us that we would be visiting New York City for the first time to witness the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. After several months of waiting and lots of turbulence, our plane hit the landing with a thunk at Laguardia airport and reality set in: we were in the city. Walking out of the airport was absolutely surreal. The sights, sounds, and smells surrounded my family and

While children are growing up in America, they are told several tales of America’s establishment and history. However, these stories are generally not told as they actually happened. An instance of this is the story of the Pilgrims and the first Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is explained as this elaborate ceremony where the Pilgrims and Indians gathered in harmony at this large harvest in celebration of their coming together. According to the primary document of William Bradford’s journal, Thanksgiving didn’t pan out quite as it is explained to Americans today. In the film, The Addams Family Values, the Addams children take part in a traditional, yet misconceived celebration of the first Thanksgiving. This

Thanksgiving is the holiday for family gatherings. Air travel analysts have coined it the “most traveled holiday” of the year. People may head to the mountains or the beaches at christmas but gathering at grandma’s for that coveted feast of thanks is high on the family priority list. But not all is as blissful as the famous Norman Rockwell portrayed. Family can equal stress, lots of stress. All that traveling makes for weary, cranky guests. Then there is the overcrowded accommodations, unequal division of chores and the dreadful family gossip. So many aspects of this holiday can leave one overwhelmed and contemplating the true meaning of giving thanks.

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