By Aliza Hashmani/reporter
Family, football, pumpkin pie and a colossal turkey dinner often come to mind with the mention of Thanksgiving. But some families celebrate Thanksgiving with their own traditions.
When Raquel Souza, a TCC student, and her family moved to America from Brazil, they created a new tradition when Thanksgiving came around.
“The highlight of our Thanksgiving is actually the day after Thanksgiving, Black Friday,” she said.
“Of course, my whole family gathers together and we have a big dinner, but it’s not the traditional Thanksgiving meal. We just get take-out.”
Souza’s family has a huge take-out dinner extravaganza, and when finished, they quickly pack their things to camp outside of Best Buy to be first in line to take advantage of the low-priced electronics.
“I know it sounds weird, but it is a lot of fun actually. We are camping out there for hours and hours, so we have to keep each other entertained. The Thanksgiving dinner is great and all, but the adrenaline and thrill we share during Black Friday is special to us in an odd way,” she said. “Plus, my brothers and I get to buy whatever we want as long as we each stay within a $200 limit, which is more than enough on Black Friday.”
Though raised in America, TCC student Shari Afzal and his family add a Pakistani touch to their Thanksgiving celebrations.
“My parents are big believers of breakfast being the most important meal of the day, so rather than a traditional big dinner, we have a big Pakistani breakfast, a Thanksgiving breakfast if you will,” he said. “The rest of the day, we relax and watch TV, then go to the mosque to pray. My night ends with a traditional football game with my friends. Then everyone spends the night at my house to eat, play video games and watch movies.”
Carol Hanson and her family take road trips every year to celebrate their Thanksgiving.
“Our Thanksgiving dinner consists of chips, candy, sandwiches, fountain drinks and whatever restaurant we can find open to get food from,” she said.
“We might be missing out on the traditional Thanksgiving meal, but I get to travel in a sense which completely makes up for it. Last year, we took a road trip to South Padre, which was amazing because I have never been to a beach before.”
