Pumpkin pie, football, Black Friday, the Turkey Trot and the famous Detroit Parade are all popular Thanksgiving activities because they are family events and family is what it’s all about.
Thanksgiving is a holiday built on the premise of giving thanks and spending time with loved ones. Over 50 million Americans travel home each year to celebrate the holiday with their family, according to bts.gov, the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. People spend the money, take the time off work and expend the energy to travel home because the holiday would not be the same without their family. Together family and friends can spend the long weekend participating in classic Thanksgiving traditions.
The Detroit Thanksgiving Day Parade is a staple event that takes place each year. Nearly 3 million Americans attend the parade annually as spectators along the route and this year they will celebrate the parade’s 98th anniversary, according to theparade.org. The parade brings people together while families march through the streets showcasing floats and organizations, spectate from the sidewalks or snuggle up on the couch at home watching through the television.
Another key event is the oldest foot race in America, the classic Turkey Trot. Thanksgiving is the most popular day of the year for racing, according to runningusa.org. The Turkey Trot is tied to many charities, such as the YMCA and Strong-as-Steele. This race gives people a chance to support their community and spend time with family.
Food also plays an important role in the holiday. While the turkey and pumpkin pie are both important aspects of the holiday in their own right, family is what gives the food its significance. Spending time baking with family members or tasting a signature dish year after year is only made possible by the effort each family puts forth to make the holiday something special.
Following Thanksgiving day itself, many families participate in Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping to kick off the holiday season. Retail and online shopping see surges of customers in the fourth quarter of the year. Going shopping gives family members bonding time to buy gifts with and for family members which makes it a sentimental activity that brings family closer together. It is the perfect way to kick off the holidays.
These events are only as special as the families and friends who make them possible. Thanksgiving is the holiday created to give thanks and nothing is more important than family because without them, the holiday would be pointless.
