Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks and for many people it is a holiday filled with tradition. Surprisingly this is one holiday that Americans share common traditions, and every year on the fourth Thursday in November you will find many participating in similar activities. What are your favorite Thanksgiving Traditions? Here are a few common traditions:
Traveling to See Family and Friends:
One of the highlights of Thanksgiving is getting together with family and friends. Many people spend a lot of time in cars, trains or planes in order to spend the holiday with those they love. Thanksgiving is actually the busiest travel day of the year! Spending time with those family and friends is worth the hectic travel that surrounds Thanksgiving.
Favorite Foods:
Thanksgiving certainly does not miss the mark for outstanding food. Turkey seems to be the most popular item that sits in the center of many people’s tables, but turkey is certainly not served alone! Traditional items that are found to be placed around the table are the stuffing, gravy, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce and mashed potatoes. Don’t forget to save room for dessert – pie is often a popular item and most traditionally you’ll see apple, pumpkin and pecan.
Tracking internet trends related to Thanksgiving food has become increasingly popular over the past couple of years. Websites have been able to track their traffic around the holiday and are able to identify what Americans search for during the season. For example in 2009 by the Wednesday before Thanksgiving at 9 P.M., 785,000 people had looked up turkey recipes on AllRecipes.com. Thanksgiving cooking habits can now be tracked for the masses, which may help businesses focus on exactly what their consumers are looking for.
Lending a Helping Hand:
Thanksgiving traditionally is a popular time that many Americans take the time to give back to their community and reach out to others in need. Opportunities that you can participate in around the holiday season are serving food at a homeless shelter, collecting donations for shelters and also running a canned food drive.
Televised Traditions:
Many Americans will turn on their televisions at some point of the day whether it is to watch the famed New York City Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade or to relax and watch football games.
Shopping:
Thanksgiving tends to mark the start of a holiday shopping frenzy! Black Friday, which is the Friday after Thanksgiving, has deals publicized for two weeks leading up to the day and stores open especially early for their “door buster” deals. In recent years Cyber Monday has grown popular as well with online shopping deals. Be sure not to miss these dates for exceptional deals!
Happy Holiday and Safe Travels!
(Food Styling Sheryl Julian, Lisa Falso; Wendy Maeda/Globe Staff)



