Thankgiving break could be chopped up as the best breaks during the school year. The weather is great, warm during the day and cold at night. The perfect fall day. More than just the weather Thanksgiving break is a time where people get to see some friends and family who you do not get to see at other times throughout the year. It has been a staple in American culture for some time now and especially the Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York. The ending where Santa come down is a perfect ending and a great way to bring in the Christmans season. Christmas music should not get played before Thanksgiving. That is just a fact. Christmas music is great and it does bring everybody closer to teh Christmas joy. But many times it can over shadow the Thanksgiving festivities. There will be time for Christmas later, but for now I am going to talk about the history of Thanksgiving and ask students how they spent their holiday break.

Thanksgiving has a long, layered history that blends Indigenous traditions, colonial events, and later American cultural development. Long before Europeans arrived, many Native American tribes held seasonal harvest celebrations, giving thanks for the earth’s gifts. These celebrations often included feasting, dancing, and ceremonies which were also intertwined with the changing of fall to winter.

The holiday most Americans think of began in 1621, when the Pilgrims at Plymouth held a three-day harvest feast after their first successful growing season. Wampanoag people, who had helped the settlers survive their first harsh winter, attended and contributed food. While this event is often called the “First Thanksgiving,” it was not initially a national tradition, and similar feasts happened throughout the colonies at different times.

Over the next two centuries, various states declared their own days of thanksgiving, usually for military victories, good harvests, or survival through hardship. The push for a national holiday grew in the 1800s, led especially by writer Sarah Josepha Hale. In 1863, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day to encourage unity and gratitude.

Since then, Thanksgiving has evolved into a major American holiday centered on food, family gatherings, and reflection on what we give thanks for.

Now to the students. What were they up to during their break and how did they spend their Thanksgiving?

Sam Abney- Sam Abney’s thanksgiving break was very eventful. He started his weekend out by hanging with some of his friends, playing basketball and watching some football games. The next day he boarded his flight to Austin Texas to see his two sets of cousins. In Texas he had thanksgiving dinner and a delicious turkey along with a scrumptious tenderloin. He stayed in Austin for 3 nights and then went home. The rest of his break consisted of hanging out at home, and going to his friends oyster roast.- that sounds like a great time. A lot of family and friends time is the best part of going on break.

Max Farrecelli- Max Farricielli’s thanksgiving break was extremely fun. He played a ton of basketball with his friends despite (his words by the way) “not being the best” but he said it was a ton of fun. He got to hangout with a few of his buddies who came back from college over break too. He said he had so much fun seeing them because it has been so long since they were back in town. Lastly he played a ton of pickleball as well. He taught his good friend Daniel Huang how to play and they were able to beat Campbell Stoklosa and Tyler Perez in a few games. Overall, this Thanksgiving break was filled with fun sports and hanging out with his friends, seems like a pretty cool guy to me.

Daniel Huang – Daniel tried to do everything he could to avoid thinking about college this break. So, he obviously played as much golf, basketball, and pickleball as possible. He even went to the first basketball preseason game, which he said was surprising. He was disappointed with the amount of free throws missed though. For Thanksgiving dinner, he said had a traditional oriental dinner, eating dumplings, rice cakes, noodles, rice, pork loins, and more. He highly recommends eating authentic Chinese food once in your life. He wishes everyone the best in their college decisions, and a happy and stress-free winter break.

-Definently sounds like Max and Daniel spent some time together hooping and enjoying their break.

Henry Lannan – At the start of break Henry worked a lot. He worked the 5 first days of break before he went away to the mountains of North Carolina near Boone. He vistited his grandparents and cousins and had a great time. During the break he ate lots of great food cooked by his Grandma. For Thanksgiving he ate so much food that he began to feel sick. The next day he went out to dinner with his cousins and grandparents for a celebration of his birthday which was Saturday. He spent Saturday and his birthday driving home from the mountains. Sunday he finished his day off playing some pro clubs with his friends.

-Putting in the work before going and having your fun, great mentality for you Henry. Way to be hard working but also spend a lot of time with your family. 

Parker Hamilton- To start off Parker’s thanksgiving break, he went to the Clemson game to hangout and tailgate with his brother. Throughout the rest of the break, he played lots of golf with his friend Charlie. Sometimes it was even 36 holes a day. He spent most nights at bonfires with his friends and then eating cookout after getting cajun fries ever time. Around Thanksgiving time, he visitied his grandparents house on Daniel Island where he spent time talking and eating with his cousins from Canada. He said “The turkey was dry and flavorless but the mac and cheese was great.” He ended out his week with swim practice in the morning from 7-9 with his friends on his club team. His friends from college were back for break so he said it made the practice more enjoyable.

Everybody had a great time over break. Everyone spent time with their family and had a fun time. A much deserved break for all the Magnet students who work hard. I hope y’all all enjoy Christmas break and continue to spend time with your family.