Thanksgiving is celebrated on the third Thursday of November. Thanksgiving is a holiday where people spend time with their families and eat delicious foods such as turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, corn, cranberries, and other classic dishes.

Thanksgiving has been an ongoing tradition that people celebrate once a year. It is a time where families can get together and enjoy being with one another. It is more than just enjoying the great foods; it is about having memories with family.

However, people in different countries celebrate Thanksgiving differently. Some people eat different foods based on their culture, and then there are some who do not even celebrate the event entirely.

While Eureka College is a small campus, there are several students who choose to celebrate a nontraditional Thanksgiving.

Troy Aries a player for Eureka men’s soccer team is from South Africa. He got the opportunity to celebrate Thanksgiving for the first-time last fall.

“I have family in Seattle who celebrate Thanksgiving, and I went there last year to celebrate it,” Troy said.

One of his favorite foods for Thanksgiving is called Gatsby. This is a food that people eat in South Africa. Some say Gatsby can be compared to a Philly cheesesteak. However, for Troy Thanksgiving is more than just eating delicious food. He enjoys being with family.

“I enjoyed just having the company of family, as I don’t see any of my immediate family throughout the year, as they all live in South Africa and few in Canada,” Troy said.

Isaac Perez is a football player for the Eureka College football team. Isaac still has a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, but his family also makes some Hispanic dishes.

“I have the original turkey, ham, and green beans on one side, but then we also have more foods as in tacos, tamales, menudo, and much more Mexican dishes,” Isaac said.

Mexican dishes such as tacos, tamales, and menudo are pretty common in Mexican culture. These dishes are delicious because there are many people who hardly ever eat these types of foods on a regular daily basis.

As much as he enjoys the food at his own Thanksgiving, he enjoys his time with family just as much. For out of state students it is really hard to make the trip back home. These students take every opportunity to enjoy moments like these.

“Being with family and eating, it’s not something you get to do every day. When you sit down, eat, and talk with your family, you see them laugh and talk, and you just really enjoy their company man. There is no better feeling in the world than that. Family is what is special about Thanksgiving to me,” Isaac said.

Daniel Jueliger is a player for the Eureka men’s soccer team and is from London. He is not able to go home for Thanksgiving break and does not celebrate Thanksgiving. However, his friend was able to invite him to their Thanksgiving. Daniel was able to take the opportunity to see what a traditional Thanksgiving is really like.

“it is a good experience, very enjoyable and good food. London is very diverse, so I’m used to engaging in different cultures,” Daniel said.

As much as he enjoys spending time with friends and his family. He also enjoys the food too.

“The Turkey is my favorite food, we have a similar tradition in England to have a ‘roast dinner’ on Sundays, which is a similar meal,” Daniel said.

Thanksgiving has been an ongoing tradition for many years. There are many people around the world who celebrate this holiday, and it’s not always about enjoying the delicious foods people get to enjoy once a year. It’s about seeing family and friends, making memories, and being thankful for what you have.