It’s that time of year again when the air is getting chilly, and families are getting together to eat as much as they can. Traditions are a special part of the holiday season, especially Thanksgiving. Whether you’re making new traditions or continuing old ones, it’s different for every family.
For government teacher, Bob Blair, the tradition is to change it up every year. “This year’s theme is Stardew Valley. I got a Stardew Valley cookbook and I’m making all the sides. Charlie Roberts gave it to me and it’s the best gift I’ve ever gotten from a student,” Blair said. “I’ve already made 2 [side dishes] that we’re making. We’re making the fiddlehead risotto and cheesy cauliflower. We’re also going to make the fried mushrooms, stuffing and cranberry sauce from the cookbook.”
The Burkart family is similar when it comes to making new dishes to try out. “This year, I am going to start making cinnamon rolls for the holidays because I made some over the summer and they were really good,” Cassidy Burkart said.
Other families go a different route when it comes to doing new things for the holidays like running but also welcoming a new member to the family. “Recently, we started the family 5k and we are doing to Turkey Trot in Mukilteo,” Allison Skoog said. “We’re also going down to Tennessee to visit my brother and sister in-law because they just had a baby this month.”
Along with new traditions being made, it’s also important to cherish the old ones. “We get the Christmas tree the day before and decorate it so that when everybody comes over, the tree’s decorated, but we put the lights up the day after on Thanksgiving Day itself,” Blair said. “We always have a turkey and then I go crazy on the sides. It’s just a full course, ridiculous meal and then we watch Christmas vacation afterwards with the whole crew. Then after that we have dessert.”
One of the best parts of Thanksgiving is the food and the people we share it with. “Every year my grandma makes these amazing, mashed potatoes. They are the perfect amount of creaminess. It’s amazing,” Burkart said.
“I like eating food and just sitting around the table, getting fat and happy,” Skoog said.