Peet freshman shares Thanksgiving traditions

Thanksgiving was made to take a day to offer thanks for the blessings of the year, and students have a wide range of ways to celebrate it.

Kaylee Willis, a freshman at Peet, said, “I always watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade.”

In 1621, there was a harvest in Plymouth, Mass., that lasted up to three days. People from English colonies and the Wampanoag people shared a feast to celebrate the colony’s successful harvest. Some believe it originated earlier than that; however, the first time someone announced it in public was in 1789. President George Washington wanted to celebrate the Constitution. Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863.

A favorite memory of Willis from Thanksgiving is “when my baby cousin came to my family house for the first time, and we had Thanksgiving with him.”

Turkey is a very common Thanksgiving food in the United States. Many people have mashed potatoes with gravy and stuffing. Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving in October. A common meal they eat for Thanksgiving is Tourtière. Tourtière is a French Canadian meat pie.

Willis celebrated her Thanksgiving with her family. “I had family that came down from Michigan.”

Thanksgiving happens on the fourth Thursday of November because originally in 1863, Lincoln created the holiday. When the Depression happened, President Roosevelt moved it to the third Thursday of November so more people would do more Christmas shopping. This caused people to be confused. Some people continued to celebrate it on the last Thursday, and others celebrated during the third Thursday. President Roosevelt decided to change it back to the last Thursday in 1941. Regardless of whether there are five or four Thursdays in November, it always happens on the fourth.

Willis’s favorite food to have for Thanksgiving “has always been pumpkin pie. I love it especially when my family adds spice to it.”

Willis is thankful for “my family. They support me with whatever I choose to do in my life and always have my back when I need it.”