Could you please help me? Need to prepare a class about Thanksgiving!

[disneytati]

Hi, guys!
I have been assigned this task, to prepare a conversation class about Thanksgiving. I have already prepared a text about Thanksgiving history, but I still need the second part, about Thanksgiving practices... things you normally do at Thanksgiving there in the US. Could you guys give me a hand? What happens at Thanksgiving there? What do you normally do?

 

[pinkrose]

Every Thanksgiving mornig, it's one of our traditions to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Then we always go over to my parents for a great big turkey dinner. After we eat till we feel like we're gonna pop, we look through the ads and make our game plan for shopping the next day. Shopping starts at about 4 am (even though the mall opens at 1am). That's a tradition too (it is, after all, the biggest shopping day of the year). :lol:

 

[disneytati]

Every Thanksgiving mornig, it's one of our traditions to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Then we always go over to my parents for a great big turkey dinner. After we eat till we feel like we're gonna pop, we look through the ads and make our game plan for shopping the next day. Shopping starts at about 4 am (even though the mall opens at 1am). That's a tradition too (it is, after all, the biggest shopping day of the year). :lol:

Oh, yeah, there's the big Thanksgiving sale!!! Does this happen in every store?

What do you generally eat, besides Turkey? Is it true that Thanksgiving starts the Christmas season?

 

[Gregory]

The sale thing is called Black Friday, and it happens the day after... At every store? Probably not.. But, most stores open early, and have huge sales... Its a nightmare trying to buy anything

 

[FigmentJedi]

At the first Thanksgiving, there were more Wampanoag Indians then Pilgrims despite what paintings of the First Thanksgiving show.

 

[pinkrose]

Oh, yeah, there's the big Thanksgiving sale!!! Does this happen in every store?

What do you generally eat, besides Turkey? Is it true that Thanksgiving starts the Christmas season?

In the malls, toy stores, Wallmarts, Targets, electronic stores, ect. Most open early and some have what they call "Door buster" sales. That's for the early birds. Extra low prices on certain things. The malls, ect are like a mad house the day after. People everywhere. It's tradition though, so we're out in it every year.

Thanksgiving dinner for us includes turkey, dressing (...southern style... cornbread), greenbeans (southern style ... made with bacon grease), homemade cranberry sauce, squash cassarole, homemade mac and cheese, stuffed eggs, potato salad, and sometimes some other things. Then a really yummy dessert. :slurp:

 

[Captain Hank]

Nope, it's not true that Thanksgiving starts the Christmas season. Labor day, waaaaay back in August started the Christmas season.

Seriously, yes, Thanksgiving is the unofficial/official start of the Christmas season, no matter what overzealous retailers would like us all to think (I should talk. I was at my Disney Store before Halloween, and we already had an entire wall of Christmas ornaments up). In addition to the traditional turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, etc., some people add a dish or two representing their ethnic background. I'm a quarter Ukranian, and we always have Kelbasa and cabbage. Not that I ever eat it, but it's out there just in case.

Thanksgiving for me is when all of my eccentric relatives come together and provide wonderful writing material for years to come. Let's just say that Thanksgivings are eventful in hcwalker16 household. Not in a bad way, just in a ridiculously funny way. I won't bore you all with the details, especially since I'm taking a break from studying for finals, but many of my classmates have gotten quite a laugh out of my yearly Thanksgiving report. Hope this helped, and good luck with the class!

 

[disneytati]

Thanks a lot, guys!!!! You gave me very interesting information! Yeah, I had already heard that there were more indians than pilgrims... Such things are always "twisted" to look more beautiful.

My aunt went to this Thanksgiving sale once, she waited for the doors of the store to open, and everyone ran into the store. She got a dvd player for 35 dollars!!!!

This dinner sounds delicious! Well, I guess I will have a hard time to explain the students the meaning of all those dishes, I think I will try to get some pics on the web.

hcwalker16 - I am curious about your Thanksgiving celebrations...

You don't have any Thanksgiving decoration, right? Do you guys pray, or anything like this?

 

[barnum42]

As you know, Thanksgiving is not celebrated in the UK (Though we do find it amusing thanking the Native Americans for assisting in the survival of the people who would in turn slaughter many of them, but that's another story).

However my sister has married into a large American Italian family and I have been fortunate enought to be present at a couple of Thanksgiving meals.

My Brother in Laws parents have their three children and their children's children around for the main meal in the afternoon. The British visitors made some traditional English deserts for after the meal - Rhubarb Crumble and Custard, Baked Jam Roll and Spotted ________ (The latter requested for the sheer amusement of the name). After a HUGE turkey based meal even more of the huge extended family drop in to vist and bring even more food. Last time I was there we set off to someone else's house for the evening where further quantities of food awaited us.

The two main themes appear to get together with family and east until you explode. I now know how Mr Creoste felt in Monty Python's "Meaning of Life" :lol:

 

[ogryn]

"It's only waffer thin"

 

[tigsmom]

In addition to the traditional turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, etc., some people add a dish or two representing their ethnic background. I'm a quarter Ukranian, and we always have Kelbasa and cabbage. Not that I ever eat it, but it's out there just in case.

Being part Ukranian & Polish, I also make Kielbasa & Cabbage for all family get togethers...comfort food.

Thanksgiving in my family is a time for us to get together and celebrate being a "family" . ( its true for all of out holidays actually). As we have gotten older and established our own families we have drifted apart. This is the time of year we all get together and enjoy ourselves. The meals moves to different homes each year, but we all share the cooking duties (haven't received mine yet). The menu is basically the same...traditions you know.
Turkey with stuffing, mashed potatoes & gravy, veggies (green beans or carrots and we have to have coleslaw...a tribute to my mom who loved the stuff [as do I]).
We usually watch The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade at our own homes and then move to the house that is hosting dinner.

Black Friday! I try never to even leave my house on that day!
3 years ago , when I worked in a bookstore, I had to work it. Had to be to work at 6am and worked till 4 pm. Then it took me 3 1/2 hours to make a 15 minute trip home....over 3 hours of that were spent trying to just get out of the parking lot. Anyone who shops on Black Friday is nuts! :lol:

 

[Debbie]

Like Tigsmom said; it is a time for family to get together. If nothing else make a phone call.
Down here we have fried turkey, miriliton dressing, oyster dressing, rice dressing, baked spaghetti, green bean casserole, baked sweet potatoes in Karo syrup.
Dessert is always pecan pie, pumpkin pie, egg custard, and some sort of cake.
I'm really fortunate that I married a guy who's parents live to be with their children and grandchildren. My folks could care less.
As for Black Friday------I'm so glad I'm not in retail anymore!

 

[tigsmom]

Like Tigsmom said; it is a time for family to get together. If nothing else make a phone call.
Down here we have fried turkey, miriliton dressing, oyster dressing, rice dressing, baked spaghetti, green bean casserole, baked sweet potatoes in Karo syrup.
Dessert is always pecan pie, pumpkin pie, egg custard, and some sort of cake.
I'm really fortunate that I married a guy who's parents live to be with their children and grandchildren. My folks could care less.
As for Black Friday------I'm so glad I'm not in retail anymore!

Ooooooo, forgot about dessert (did that come out of my mouth? )

Have to have apple pie...always! Pumpkin & Coconut custard round out our table. :slurp:

Debbie, I had a fried turkey for the first time the other year and it was great. Had never thought of frying something so big. :hammer:
May I ask...what is baked spaghetti? And :sohappy: for greenbean casserole. :slurp:

 

[pinkrose]

Oh, I forgot about the sweet potato cassarole (with marshmellows on top, of course. :slurp: ).

Desserts are traditionally pumpking pie, pecan pie, or sweet potato pie. We also have some type of "non-traditional" dessert as well.

 

[Yellow Shoes]

Although it is not part of our Thanksgiving, I am surprised that no one mentioned football.

Thanksgiving is a big day for football on TV.

Our family tradition is to put up the Christmas decorations after Thanksgiving dinner (which in our family is served at noon, thus leaving the rest of the day free). We take them down on New Year's Day.

Many large families have the Christmas drawing on Thanksgiving. We buy a Christmas gift for one of the adults and all of the children.

For many Americans, Thanksgiving is a hectic travel time as far-flung families try to get together. The Wednesday before Thanksgiving and the Sunday after are THE busiest travel days at airports.

 

[Captain Hank]

hcwalker16 - I am curious about your Thanksgiving celebrations...

You don't have any Thanksgiving decoration, right? Do you guys pray, or anything like this?

Eh, my family's Thanksgiving celebration is on the whole pretty normal. Watching the Macy's parade, sittinig down to dinner about 2:00 (Theoretically, at least. It's never served quite on time.) Then, football for those that watch it. Personally, I never quite got into football. I'm a marching band person, myself. Anyway, the big difference is that my family is very eccentric. I'm not sure if you get the TV show Everybody Loves Raymond down in Brazil, but the family on there could easily be mine. And I'm definately not saying I'm immune to eccentricity, but... :hammer:

Thanksgiving decorations tend to be minimal, and more fall decorations than anything. My mom uses lots of red, browns, and yellows along with the occasional gourd. We also have little turkey salt and pepper shakers on the table every year. It is one of the few meals during the year that we say a blessing for, Christmas and Easter being the other major ones.

 

[Yellow Shoes]

As far as decorations go, there are a lot of Halloween things that can work for Thanksgiving as well.

Pumpkins if they haven't been carved, gourds, Indian corn (decorative corn that has kernels in colors other than yellow--usually blue and red), corn stalks, bales of straw, dried flowers, leaves that have changed color. Lots of people set up a harvest tableau and leave it up through October and November.

 

[maelstrom]

Nice to see a few other Ukrainians out there. We either stay home or go to my aunt's house on Thanksgiving, and have turkey, mashed potatoes, biscuits, corn, cranberry sauce, mandarin orange cloud, etc. If there isn't a race or a game on, we watch Disney movies. We don't take part in Black Friday shopping. But two years ago I was working at the mall that day, and I was at the register for 4 hours straight with no end in sight to the line, and this was at a small store (Delia's).

 

[Captain Hank]

Yeah, I just remembered, depending on how I'm scheduled, I may have the pleasure of beinig on duty at the Disney Store during Black Friday. Scary, huh?

 

[disneytati]

As far as decorations go, there are a lot of Halloween things that can work for Thanksgiving as well.

Pumpkins if they haven't been carved, gourds, Indian corn (decorative corn that has kernels in colors other than yellow--usually blue and red), corn stalks, bales of straw, dried flowers, leaves that have changed color. Lots of people set up a harvest tableau and leave it up through October and November.

That's interesting! So some people actually have decorations for Thanksgiving...

Hey, guys!!! A coworker of mine just gave me an idea, but I would like to ask for you guys' permission first. Instead of using the info you've just given me, and creating a single handout, can I use fragments of your posts, just like the way they are, and put your names, and the place you are from? Just the first name, you know. I guess that would be a hit among my students. It would seem more real, they always ask me to teach them REAL English, things that REAL americans say or write... If it's ok, please, post or PM me your first names, city and state, ok? :wave: Thanks a lot!!!!!!!!!!!