What Thanksgiving means to me

Thanksgiving is a time when family and friends get together to give thanks for the food and many accomplishments and achievements that they have made throughout their lives.

The final Thursday in November had become the customary date in most U.S. states by the beginning of the 19th century. Thanksgiving was first celebrated on the same date by all states in 1863 by a presidential proclamation of Abraham Lincoln, who proclaimed the date to be the final Thursday in November in an attempt to foster a sense of American unity between the Northern and Southern states. Than George Washington proclaimed the first nationwide Thanksgiving celebration in America marking November 26, 1789, “as a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God.”

On December 26, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a joint resolution of Congress, changing the national Thanksgiving Day from the last Thursday in November to the fourth Thursday. Two years earlier, Roosevelt had used a presidential proclamation to try to achieve this change, reasoning that earlier celebration of the holiday would give the country an economic boost.

Some of the foods we eat on Thanksgiving are turkey, string bean casserole, mashed potatoes or sweet potatoes with gravy, cranberry sauce, soup, pumpkin pie, apple pie and pecan pie and other delicious foods.

One of the traditions in my family is that every Thanksgiving morning we sit on the couch and watch the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on TV. The parade has different floats and different performers as well as marching bands and tons of dancers and the clowns and course Santa Claus is always at the end of the parade. Sometimes I’ll watch professional football while my parents are cooking the meal.

One of my favorite parts of Thanksgiving is eating a nice meal and seeing my family and friends that come over. It is one of my favorite holidays, and I enjoy all things about it. Be safe and Happy Thanksgiving. 

Ashley Gazes, 28, lives in Oceanside. She works at Trader Joe’s and attends Life’s Worc in East Rockaway. She enjoys watching sports, reading, writing, listening to music and just hanging out with her friends.