The holidays are a time for families to celebrate, laugh, share memories from past events, trade gossip, and conduct traditions all while enjoying a big meal around the dinner table. In honor of Thanksgiving this Thursday, the editorial team at TodoWafi would like to share some of their favorite memories and traditions.
Madison: Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. One of my favorite memories is when me, my mom, my aunt, and my uncle all went down to New York City to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving parade. Although it was a cold November morning, I didn’t care. I was so excited that I was finally going to watch the parade live and in person instead of on television. I remember where my group and I were standing in the middle of two large buildings along with the hundreds of other people who were waiting in anticipation for the balloons and floats to go by. When it was over people erupted into cheers and applause as Santa Clause arrived, which meant that Christmas was coming. Afterward, we headed to my grandparent’s house for Thanksgiving dinner. My grandfather cooks the turkey and everyone else in my family brings their own dishes to share at dinner and then dessert. Thinking about this day with the holiday so close makes me feel cheerful because it means that this year I’ll get to make even more memories with my family.
Jessica: Thanksgiving is a total blast for our family. We all know what we are bringing to Thanksgiving dinner months in advance due to my oldest sister telling us what the requirements are for us to bring. It’s kind of an inside joke. We all want to explore new dishes every year, discuss potential recipes that everyone would approve of, but we always end up going back to our traditional specialties. We all have our own dishes that we make. I am always required to bring my homemade macaroni and cheese and my pink raspberry pie. We have also made it a tradition to do a Facebook Live to clown around before everyone arrives at our sister’s house. Life tends to get so busy and the family is rarely in the same place at the same time anymore. My most cherished memories were when the entire family got together. There was never a dull moment with the Montalvo’s. Our family motto is: “If you leave hungry, that’s your own dang fault.”
CosmoLatina: My favorite memories of Thanksgiving believe it or not are anchored in my college years. I attended college in Massachusetts, far from my California home. Along with many other Latinos who couldn’t go home for Thanksgiving, we sought refuge in the annual “Pachanga” conference sponsored by member colleges and universities of the East Coast Chicano Student Forum. For the whole of Thanksgiving break we got to reconnect with the cultura that we yearned for back home. My sophomore year, “Pachanga” was hosted by Princeton. I remember it vividly, we got to see George Lopez perform. Many phenomenal memories were made each Thanksgiving. The road trips to the various host campuses, shared longing for home and learning more about issues affecting our comunidad provided a sense of belonging that kept me sane when I couldn’t be with my family.
Rafael: Honestly my mother made Thanksgiving extremely special. So when we talk about Thanksgiving and my favorite memory it has to go without mention that she was the main reason to give thanks. Single mother trying to raise two boys while keeping it all together. I remember cooking with her many times and learning some of the meals. We had hybrid Thanksgivings, mixing the american tradition with a little latin twist. There were times when we spent them just as three and others where the family were around. The one thing I remember is that regardless of the amount of people, the tradition of giving thanks never changed, my mother saw to it that we as a family understood that even the smallest of blessings were important. Thanksgiving is what I call the forgotten Holiday, we woosh from Halloween right to Christmas. Take a look at the blessings in your life this Thanksgiving, your job, children, significant other, or even your neighbor and don’t forget to give thanks.
Now that you’ve read about some of our team’s holiday traditions and favorite memories from Thanksgiving. We hope that however you and your loved one choose to celebrate this holiday, it’s filled with good food and great memories. Enjoy the holiday from all of us here at TodoWafi!
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