For many, Thanksgiving break is always a welcome reprieve from the chaos of everyday life. It was no different for the students of Maggie Walker this Thanksgiving break, when they were finally able to take a moment and relax with their families.
Some students, like Katie Watson (‘25), used Thanksgiving break as a time to give extra thanks to their community. When asked about her Thanksgiving traditions, Watson said, “In the morning, we always make this pastry. There's a fundraiser at my middle school that they run every year, so we set it out the night before and in the morning we bake it. It's usually filled with apples or strawberries and it's one of the best pastries I've ever had.”
Similarly, for most students, these few days off from school were a welcome opportunity to spend quality time with family and friends. For Vishnoy Vaddakancheri (‘23), Thanksgiving meant a chance to “spend time with [his] family and to take a step back from all the hustle and bustle.” Aditi Nair (‘26) said, “I think my favorite part would be spending time with my family.” For students who might be constantly out of the house, like Watson, who said that her family was constantly out and about between her and her siblings’ extracurriculars, Thanksgiving was the perfect time to come back together and hang out.
Of course, we can’t talk about Thanksgiving without mentioning food! For Isaiah Vanzant (‘25), one of his favorite holiday traditions involves a very special type of food. He said, “The day before we’ll go to my grandma’s house and have fun, and then the day of Thanksgiving usually she‘ll make a red velvet cake.” For others, more traditional Thanksgiving dishes stole the show. Nair said, “I love eating pie and of course, having turkey!” Vaddakancheri preferred ham, turkey, and cranberry sauce, while Vanzant preferred the mac and cheese. A variety of dishes were present at Thanksgiving dinner for Maggie Walker students, with Vaddakancheri adding, “We’ll make dishes from our culture in addition to traditional Thanksgiving foods.”
In the end, Thanksgiving is a time for food, giving thanks, and spending time with family. When asked what Thanksgiving meant to them, Nair said, “It’s a time of gathering and togetherness.” Vaddakancheri added, “It’s an opportunity for togetherness, appreciating the things that you take for granted, and spending time with the people that you love.” Though every family may celebrate Thanksgiving in slightly different ways, we can all agree that Thanksgiving is a time for love and gratitude for the people in our lives.