Chandler- My Mom’s side of the family all gather at my Grandparents on the day of Thanksgiving. Although it may feel like it’s over 90 degrees inside with everyone and the stoves cooking, it’s a favorite of mine. We really don’t do anything too special, we just enjoy an afternoon of food, fellowship and discussing where my aunts and grandmothers are going on Black Friday. As we roll into later fall and winter, I hope you get an opportunity similar to mine with your family!
CD- In November it's always football time, and with thanksgiving brings the hub of all the good college football games on TV. Usually, we have all of the harvests for the year complete and all the calves weaned. We all enjoy a break so that we can gather, eat, and give thanks for another successful year. We like to take the time to catch up on sleep and catch up from the busy fall harvest. But starting on Thursday after we eat the excitement starts, being a Dallas Cowboys fan it's always fun to watch a little football then the real excitement begins, the Nebraska Cornhuskers and the Iowa Hawkeyes. Growing up in a Husker home it’s the most sacred holiday in the football world. We all gathered around to watch the end of the regular season and enjoy the Big Red win another game. Go Big Red and happy Thanksgiving.
Lexi- Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays, and not just because of the great food! Each year, my uncles, cousins, my brother, and I go pheasant hunting. We have been doing so for as long as I can remember. We usually go in the morning and spend most of the afternoon out hunting. Once we are finished for the day, we go to my grandparent's house and enjoy a tasty dinner! After we have cleaned everything up from dinner, we sit around and of course watch football to end our day together. Each year, I look forward to the time I get to spend with my family, and all of the blessings we each have to be thankful for on this special day!
Gwen- Thanksgiving is a favorite holiday of mine for many reasons, and it’s not just the food! Our Thanksgiving day starts with the annual Gobble Gobble 5K! The race doubles as a canned food drive for our local food pantry, and nothing beats the feeling of a run in the morning and helping those in need. Next, we come home and the final preparations begin, as our family Thanksgiving is held at my home. Soon it is time for dinner, and the family has arrived. We sit around enjoying the company of one another, as we haven’t seen some of our cousins in a while. After naps have been taken to sleep off the turkey we, of course, watch a little football! I have always been so grateful for this day to see my family gather together to celebrate another year health, hope, and faith!
Jodie- When it comes to Thanksgiving my family has a few traditions that are not quite like the others. When it comes to the Williams family dinner, we all come a little bit early to finish putting food together, and sometimes we can even get a sample before everyone else does. Grandpa makes sure to have the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade on for all of us grandkids. After everyone has arrived and a prayer has been said, all of kids race grandpa to finish with “Now we can eat”! After the meal is done we all sit around talking, playing card games, or looking at the ads in the newspaper, so when Black Friday shopping starts the next day, everyone has a Christmas list idea. On the Lindsay side, everyone gathers into the kitchen to say a prayer and one thing we are thankful for. Soon everyone is at the table talking and enjoying a good meal. Once dinner is done, the kids lay down for naps, and when you walk into the living room, all the chairs are full with the guys, because they too are taking naps. Once the guys are up, the go and do chores at the barn and come back to Nana and Papa’s house. Everyone jumps in line again to eat some of the leftover pizza dinners for supper. By the end of the night, the adults are playing games while talking, and all the kids are laying down and watching a movie together. Every family has a different tradition, which is why they are each unique. I wouldn’t change my family’s for the world.
Cole - While my favorite tradition of all happens during the summer months, Thanksgiving is a very important time for my family. Growing up, my parents worked quite a bit so family dinners didn’t happen as much as we would have liked. Thanksgiving was a time that my family and I cherished. It was a time when we knew we would sit down and talk with each other no matter what. In our family, when we are all together we know it is an important time. We grew up with the knowledge that the time we have on this earth is limited, so we should spend it with the people we love Our family. Around that table we know we are in a safe place because the people with us wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. It is these values in our family that make this holiday so special. From our humble beginnings as aspiring agriculturalists to a proud family of farmers, we have continued to grow together. Use this holiday to set aside all of the stress you have and take a moment to really live in the moment with the ones you love.
Jake- I have always loved the traditions that my family partakes in. Our Thanksgiving traditions are no different. Every year we make the trip to my Aunt Jeanie’s house in southern Iowa. We enjoy alarming amounts of food and sit down to watch the NFL football games every year. Though I do love this tradition, my favorite traditions comes that night. This tradition is two words and one of my favorite things to do. Those words are “Black Friday.” Now I do not usually partake in the spending of all my savings, but I do enjoy a good deal here and there. My cousins and I leave after the football games to get in lines at stores. On the way there we would circle the deals and make a game plan. Even though I usually didn’t buy a lot it was always an experience to spend the night and Friday watching people go crazy for deals. This was a great time to spend with family and why Thanksgiving is always one of my most favorite times of the year because of the time spent with family. Happy Thanksgiving!
Lane- Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite times of the year. This is because I get to see all of my family in one place and eat some amazing food. Our tradition has always been gathering at my grandma's house early in the morning and spending the day with all of our family. My grandma makes a big breakfast which includes giant cinnamon rolls, omelets, and many other goodies. Throughout the day our parents cook the food while us kids play games and watch tv. Now that I am older, my tradition has changed a bit because instead of playing games with my cousins, I watch the football games that are being played that day or catch the NASCAR race. I wouldn’t trade this holiday for anything because it’s always full of good food, family, and lots of naps. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!
Laken- My favorite family tradition is waking up early in the morning and helping my family get the food ready. We spend the morning making appetizer-style foods including pickle wraps, little weenies, meatballs, and anything that will fill us up until the big meal. Once the food is done, my family gathers around the table and fills up on all the Thanksgiving favorites. We always time our meals around the Dallas Cowboys football game and all crowd in the living room after the meal to enjoy the game. After the Cowboys are done and a good post-meal nap is taken, we make the pies and eat them as a pre-bedtime snack. I always love spending time around the table with my family, eating food and finally being all together when working around our always busy schedules.
Living to Serve,
2018-2019
Iowa FFA State Officer Team
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