Thanksgiving is near, Cougars! Many RCHS students are looking forward to Thanksgiving with their families and friends this 2020. With students on campus having diverse family traditions, there is an abundance of creative ideas for numerous students’ Thanksgiving traditions.

Students celebrate Thanksgiving at home or a relative’s house and now look forward to this holiday at home with their families to celebrate with traditional activities.

Handfuls of family traditions for Thanksgiving usually include all family members cooking and preparing the dinner. However, many families also look forward to Black Friday after Thanksgiving.

Junior Via Suero stated, “Each of us puts in work for the cooking, and after we eat, we like to look for good Black Friday deals.” According to Suero, it is a yearly activity for her family to cook and eat dinner and, after cleanup, begin searching for quality deals in stores for Black Friday.

Students also have different forms of entertainment before and after dinner, which each family member participates in. Some families may only arrive just before dinner, but some use the entire day to spend time and take part in entertaining activities.

Junior Nathan Camacho stated, “Some family traditions that we have on Thanksgiving are watching the parade, watching A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, and making homemade pumpkin pie.” Camacho claims the very first traditional activity of the day is watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in the morning when preparations begin.

Games are the main activity when it comes to Thanksgiving. These games can include sports, video games, or board games. Regardless of what type of game, it is one of the most popular customs in many families for Thanksgiving.

Junior Eisen Haye Loc stated, “Traditions I have are spending time with family, and we always play Monopoly or some sort of board game after dinner.” Loc’s family always plays games after dinner since most of the family participates in cooking dinner beforehand.

As far as the dinner itself, many families have certain gestures performed during dinner. This can be anything from religious rituals to stating what you’re thankful for and other activities.

Junior Allison Ellenburg stated, “We make all of the food for dinner and say what we are thankful for. Afterward, we spend family time by telling each other amazing stories.” Telling stories is an essential part of dinner traditions for Ellenburg’s family because it leads to family bonding.

There is a multitude of traditional activities and customs performed by each family. Many differ from one another as plans are situated for family convenience. Many RCHS students look forward to this break from school as well as this holiday with family and friends.

Happy Thanksgiving, Cougars!