JUPITER CHRISTIAN SCHOOL – JCS students Adilee Rodriguez and Christian Nava share their Thanksgiving Day traditions.
Thanksgiving is typically a time for feasting with friends and family and giving thanks. Some people go for a more traditional Thanksgiving, while others start new and unique traditions. Adilee Rodriguez and Christian Nava shared their holiday plans and traditions for this year as well as what makes Thanksgiving important to them.
To begin, Adilee says that her tradition is to do a small family gathering at home. She lives in a small family, with her mom and dad, whom she loves dearly. This small get-together is more intimate and allows for a nice conversation. Adilee states, “We get to have deeper conversations about things like giving thanks.” She enjoys having this time to reflect with her family and enjoy their company. She has been having a similar family gathering for as long as she can remember. Thanksgiving is important to her because she can spend quality time with her family, who are significant to her. “I hope to carry out this tradition in the future by growing the gathering and bringing my kids and family,” says Adilee. She will not let the tradition die, but instead keep growing.
Furthermore, Christian said his tradition is a large family gathering at his family’s house. “I have a lot of cousins, uncles, aunts, and brothers,” says Christian. They all meet at a certain family member’s home, usually his uncle’s, so they can share the meal together. The home is very lively on Thanksgiving. They always pray before their meal, thanking God for what they have. This is significant to him because he wants to give God gratitude for everything in his life, Thanksgiving is a time to remind him of that. Christian stated, “I have been doing this tradition since I was little, about twelve years.” Most of his life he has stuck to this tradition, and he hopes to continue for years to come. He hopes to carry out this tradition into the future because he enjoys spending time with a lot of his family all together.
Adilee and Christian’s Thanksgiving traditions are similar in many ways. They both have gatherings with family. Adilee and Christian both share laughs and conversations with loved ones. “I love the conversations we get to have at the dinner table,” Adilee says. They both recognize what they are thankful for and remember what Thanksgiving is all about. Their traditions are different because their party sizes are different. Adilee prefers a smaller, more intimate group, and Christian enjoys the company of his large group of family. This is the beauty of Thanksgiving. It does not matter where the feast is held or what food is served. It is about spending time with loved ones and showing gratitude. “Thanksgiving is really a time for giving thanks,” joked Christian. Traditions will vary depending on who is asked, but the heart of Thanksgiving will remain the same.
In conclusion, Adilee Rodriguez and Christian Nava both shared their Thanksgiving traditions. Adilee spends Thanksgiving at a small family gathering. Christian attends a large gathering with all his family. They both treasure the family in their lives, and they share their gratitude during Thanksgiving.
