Thanksgiving is a holiday that is shaped by traditions and values, with many various traditions cropping up and becoming cemented into the holiday season. Due to the many different people involved in its history and over four hundred years passing since its start, people have had many different traditions and things to be thankful for during the holiday season. Some people do the regular thanksgiving dinner and meet with families, while others may have other special traditions with their families. However, Thanksgiving isn’t the only holiday in the season. 

Christmas is also a time of traditions, with its beginnings in Rome, in the year 336. It spread to many different countries, who all have their own traditions for the holidays. Some places, like Europe and America, will put up Christmas trees and sing Christmas songs, while other places, like Japan, will get fried chicken for dinner to celebrate. Even here, in Hawaii, we all have our own and unique ways to celebrate the holiday season. 

Joseph Hajiro, the Career teacher, was thankful for being somewhere peaceful and having a stable government without being at war. “Every thanksgiving we [friends and family] have a thanksgiving lunch before heading to a friends house for dinner”. An anonymous student was thankful for their family. Every year for Christmas, they have a lasagna as Christmas dinner.

Other students, like Destry Uehara and Parker Lee, are thankful for their family and friends. Parker remarked that “my family tradition is opening advent calendars every year,” while Destry said that “my family decorates the whole house during the holidays.”

Zoey Grace-Kidonakis said that “because my family is Greek, we have a bread cake with a penny inside and if you get the slice with the penny, that means your year is good.”

Around the world, people have traditions and things to be thankful for this year, going through their important familial celebrations and spending time with each other. Whether it’s having dinner with your family or decorating your house, we all have our own traditions that connect us with each other and our families.