It’s Thanksgiving week, but you’ve probably already seen plenty of Christmas and different holiday decor throughout Target and various other stores. Simply put, ‘tis the season.
For many individuals, the holidays include one or several traditions that occur annually during this time of year. While some people like to change things up and create new ways of celebrating, others prefer to stick to what they’ve always done.
Dallas resident Virginia Altick said her favorite holiday tradition is the white elephant gift exchange with her dad’s side of the family. She said it is not simply useful or thoughtful gift giving, though—the goal is to attempt to outdo one another each year.
“Last year, I opened the largest gift in the pile, which turned out to be an enormous print of Seinfeld’s George Costanza in his tighty whities on a chaise lounge,” she said. “Apparently, it had hung in my cousin’s roommate’s ex-boss’ office. I was not about to keep that at my house, so I managed to find someone who wanted to play a joke on her husband, George. Then, she re-gifted it to a friend of hers, too. It was truly a gift that kept on giving.”
Altick said she is certainly team traditions, as she believes that it is enjoyable to create experiences that are expected and continued every year.
“When you don’t get to do the tradition, it feels like something is missing,” she said. “For instance, this is going to be the first year my mom’s side of the family doesn’t do Christmas morning stockings at my grandmother’s house. She used to line the stair handrail with everyone’s stocking, which was both decorative and functional. She just passed away at almost 99 years old, so we will have to honor her tradition in our own way.”
Like Altick, Dallas resident Jenny Schultz prefers to keep certain holiday traditions going on an annual basis. Schultz even likes to begin hers as soon as the feeling of fall sets in so that she gets in true holiday spirit for a longer period of time.
“I love listening to Christmas music all day every day from late October through New Year’s,” she said. “I also love making baked goods and jams for our neighbors and friends. These traditions get me in the mood for all things Thanksgiving and Christmas.”
Though she likes traditional activities and celebrations, Schultz said they don’t always need to be the exact same every November and December.
“With two young boys, I have to adapt and change small things each year,” she said.
Different individuals often value certain traditions for their own unique reasons. For Schultz, traditions are connections to our pasts.
“Making cookies my grandmother made or the chicken and dressing that my great grandmother made is special to me,” she said. “It is a way to remember and share a small piece of people who are no longer with us with my boys.”
For Altick, traditions allow for predictability and expectation that are welcomed in a time that can often feel hectic and overwhelming.
“With all of the things you have to do during the holidays, like preparing food or shopping for gifts, it is helpful to already know what you’re going to do,” she said. “So, I think a tradition is one less thing that has to be planned or communicated.”
Another aspect of the holidays that is often consistent for many people is the “traditional” Thanksgiving meal. Some individuals love being able to sit down to a full plate of turkey and all of the other fixings, while others who are more like Chandler Bing would prefer to eat macaroni and cheese or foods not typically eaten at Thanksgiving. Altick, however, is not one who wants to stray from what many American families will eat on November’s fourth Thursday each year.
“Give me the turkey, gravy, stuffing, green bean casserole, sweet potato mash, butter rolls, and pumpkin pie,” she said. “I have no complaints with this comfort food. I would eat it again at Christmas, too. Being that I only have this kind of meal once, maybe twice a year, I don’t mind and actually like it.”
Like Altick, Schultz enjoys traditional Thanksgiving food and said she sometimes even craves it during the summertime. She does think it’s sometimes OK to veer slightly, though.
“I feel like you can try a new dish or two, as long as you keep the traditional elements of the meal,” she said. “I would not be one to have pizza on Thanksgiving, but I am fine if we make green beans in a form other than casserole.”
There’s no requirement that one must stick to what many people consider staple components at Thanksgiving meals, though. If a person wants quesadillas on the holiday, that person can eat quesadillas. Dallas-area resident Stephanie Hone said she doesn’t understand why traditional Thanksgiving foods have become the standard.
“What’s the point?” she said. “Over the years, I’ve realized I don’t really eat much of the food. Stuffing? No. Cranberries? No. The only thing I actually maybe enjoy is mashed potatoes, but even those aren’t my favorite form of potatoes.”
And by no means is she alone in her viewpoint.
“At work the other day, they asked who would actually prefer Tex-Mex over Thanksgiving food, and about half of the room raised their hands,” she said. “It also bugs me because I tend to feel that Thanksgiving dinner and Christmas dinner are pretty much the same. There’s not much variance, and that doesn’t make sense to me.”
WEEKLY PHOTO OP
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NatNews staff and sister and niece besties recently enjoyed a lovely fall morning scooter/walk adventure together