Thanksgiving Family Traditions

With the holidays rapidly approaching, it is a good time to take a look at some Thanksgiving family traditions to get a better understanding of what they are and how they are so popular with families today. Naturally the turkey itself and the different trimmings such as cranberry sauce and stuffing is one of the major traditions. However, today there are such things as turkey burgers for smaller families who may not need all the extra meat. In studies it has been shown that 95 percent of Americans chow down on turkey at Thanksgiving. There are some different twists to the traditional bird as well. Hawaiians prefer to rub theirs down with coffee. New Englanders have a taste for salt encrusted turkeys and some folks in the South love deep-fried bird. 
Some families like to sit around the TV to watch the big Thanksgiving football game. This can be just as important to some families as the yummy pumpkin pies. Thanksgiving football games have been around since 1876. Just hope that your family will have healthy rivalries between themselves. Of course this particular tradition started out with college football games. 
It is also unquestionably popular to watch the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. This was started in 1920 by Gimbel's Department store and Macy's was actually started in 1924. Of course more families watch the parade which is hosted in New York City each year and it is estimated that 46 million folks partake in this. 
What day of thanks would be complete without a fun loving fight over the wishbone? Whoever gets the largest piece of the broken bone will have their wish come true. This tradition actually dates back to 322 BC by the Estruscans. Then the Romans came and conquered the British isles and the Brits borrowed many Roman customs, and hundreds of years later the colonists from England brought this tradition with them to the New World or America. 
Let's not forget about the actual act of giving thanks. Some families like to take turns going around the table and telling something they are thankful for. Many families will have a blessing or a prayer that they like to say before diving into the abundance of food.  For some families Thanksgiving may be the only occasion that they have prayer as a family in their own home in the entire year.
Recipes can also be passed down from generation to generation on how to make wonderful dressings or pies. Maybe instead of watching the game, your family likes to go outside and play with one another. Children can also make turkey art at school to use for a centerpiece for the dinner table. And let's not forget about Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, which boasts as being the biggest shopping day of the year, and getting up extremely early for the special deals has become a recent tradition for some. 
This wonderful holiday is a great way for families to get together and celebrate with good food and stories of holidays past. You can maybe even start some new traditions as well. Happy Holidays!