The sweet aroma of freshly baked pies wafts past the kitchen entryway into the living room. The excited shrieks of younger siblings and cousins as they cheer the participants of this year's Macy's Parade mingle with the voices of aunts, uncles and parents reliving the holidays of past years. As friends and family continue to pour through the doors, the once seemingly large house feels tiny, but cozy nonetheless.
For some, this typical image of Thanksgiving Day is reality. For others, Thanksgiving is a time for unique customs. Unusual or conventional, for nearly everyone, Thanksgiving is a time for traditions.
"We go to my aunt and uncle's house in Maryland and have five different types of pie and anything else you might imagine," fourth-year College student Will Cocks said. "And this year, I might make something."
Food is indeed a beloved part of most families' Thanksgiving holiday. From the Pilgrims' first Thanksgiving feast to the modern family's annual holiday dinner, food often plays an integral role when the fourth Thursday of November comes around.
"I go home and I cook with my mother and my aunt," second-year College student Temitope Awosogba said. "Usually, family comes. They don't bring food -- my family is from Nigeria, so you just cook with the family [that's hosting]."
Spending time with family is a Thanksgiving custom many look forward to. This is especially true for college students, many of whom see their families for the first time since the beginning of the school year.
Another popular Thanksgiving tradition is to take a look ahead to the next major holiday: Christmas. As stores start gearing up for the holiday season in December, bringing out everything from stockings and wreaths to light-up reindeer and mistletoe, families also begin to fill their homes and yards with some Christmas cheer.
"My family puts up our Christmas decorations during Thanksgiving break, which is always really fun," first-year College student Lauren Palmer said. "Our family gets really into it."
For some, however, Thanksgiving traditions are not so typical.
"I don't have any immediate family in the U.S.," fourth-year College student Laila Ouhamou said. "I normally work during Thanksgiving -- I work at a restaurant."
Others spend Thanksgiving simply relaxing, taking a greatly needed break from their hectic schedules.
Jon Anderson, who is on staff with Agape Christian Fellowship, said Thanksgiving in his home is "pretty traditional."
Thanksgiving involves "spending time with family, eating a lot of food," Anderson said. "We just get together and hang out and have fun."
And for most, this is the true essence of Thanksgiving. The unoriginal, the usual, the conventional -- in short, the traditional -- is what makes Thanksgiving a much beloved holiday.
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