Traditions of Thanks: Everyone has different traditions during Thanksgiving and all celebrate differently

Sophomore Collin Stround spends his Thanksgiving soaking up the Florida sun. Sophomore Charlotte Reintjes’ house is flooded with relatives and food. Junior Maile Tormholen dresses up with her closest friends. 

Bottom line: there’s no right way to celebrate Thanksgiving. 

Reintjes’s dad’s family always comes into town to celebrate Thanksgiving. They spend around three to four days just focusing on family and spending time with each other, participating in different activities like a girls’ shopping trip while the boys go watch the football game at the Peanut. They’re biggest activity of the week is their annual pickleball tournament.

Thanksgiving day for Reintjes usually starts out with a cousin’s football game in Loose Park, then they go home and help their parents start cooking. Some stay at their grandma’s house to help make 13 pies to feed the 80 family members. Dinner is usually ready by 5 or 6 pm.  

“First, we say grace led by my grandparents,” said Reintjes. “Then there’s always the college cousins that have to make an announcement about how their college is going, and if there’s any babies or wedding announcements.”

Stroud celebrates Thanksgiving a little differently, by going to Destin, Florida every year with his mom’s side of the family. 

“I’ve been going to Florida every year since I was five, I don’t really remember what it’s like to not be in Florida,” said Stroud. 

Instead of eating “traditional” Thanksgiving food, he celebrates by having seafood every year from Crab Trap.  Stroud’s Thanksgiving day starts off by watching the football game, and then trecking to the beach. Once home, they start getting ready for dinner and setting the table before eating. A game of beach volleyball never fails to take a competitive turn once dinner is finished.

Unlike the typical family Thanksgiving, junior Maile Tormohlen has celebrated a Friendsgiving every year since eighth grade with her 14 closest friends at junior Sophie Danker’s house.

The style has changed throughout the years while. This year, the girls decked out in dresses instead of their usual jeans and sweaters to take what felt like thousands of pictures according to Tormohlen, while the boys watched the football game. All 14 friends sign up through a sign up genius to bring food and they put it on the table, going through it buffet style. With their very own seats at the table, they say grace and get to eating.

“It’s such a great time I just love the atmosphere and my friends,” Tormohlen said. “They’re all so welcoming and I always look forward to friends giving,”