Thanksgiving Festivitiesxml
Though this isn’t my first turkey day in New York City, it is the first one since my family has moved to the city. I guess in the traditional sense this will be my first Thanksgiving here. Most people who know me know that I am a traditionalist to the extreme.  Routines prove to be a little hard to change in my life. The food we will devour has never been contended until this year. As my mom will be getting married the day before Thanksgiving we will need to make room for new traditions this year. Though I refuse to give up my mom’s sausage stuffing and cranberry sauce straight from the can, I’m going to let the torch be passed on the centerpiece of the meal… the turkey of course. One tradition that I will not mind replacing this year, the parade! I’ve always watched the parade on TV first thing is the morning. This year I will be clutching hot chocolate, standing among the crowds, craning my neck straight up to see the balloons.
–Brynne
I am so excited for this year’s Thanksgiving Holiday that I can smell my mother’s sweet potato casserole from here. This year, I will be leaving chilly New York and spending my Thanksgiving in the south at my parent’s house in Charlotte, NC. On Thanksgiving Eve, I am meeting my friends at a local bar to enjoy drinks, catch up, recall unforgettable memories, and laughing til my belly aches. On Thanksgiving, I plan to nurse my hangover with tastes of all the traditional Thanksgiving fare and Holiday favorites. This year, my boyfriend’s parents will be joining the Holiday feast at my house, meeting my parents and extended family for the first time and adding a little spice to the traditional meal. The Thanksgiving tradition I am most excited about is Black Friday! I plan to spend more money than necessary on discounted items I cannot live without. To rest my feet after a successful shopping excursion, I will be cheering on my USC Gamecocks on Saturday as they dominate over Clemson in an epic college football battle. I will miss my fast paced, metropolitan life style, but I am looking forward to some good ole’ southern comfort.
–Emily
Thanksgiving. The time of year where family and friends get together to eat, drink and eat some more. This tradition in my family is a little different from most. We enjoy a Gallagher Thanksgiving.  Usually, my Mother has to work on Thanksgiving Day, so my parents cook in the morning and we enjoy a Thanksgiving lunch, where we say what we were thankful for. (I am Thankful for my internship, my family and my friends). After lunch, my mom goes into work and sometimes my dad would tag along to keep her company. My older brother, my little sister and I either lie around the house and watch TV or see a movie at the theater.  Another Gallagher Thanksgiving tradition is celebrating my birthday. Yes, I was born on Thanksgiving. (My dad still gives me a hard time that he had to eat hospital food for his Thanksgiving meal that year.) Whenever Turkey Day is around the corner, I know for me it means food, drinks, friends, family and, of course, presents! This year I will be spending Thanksgiving here in New York City. This will be my first non-Pennsylvania Thanksgiving/Birthday. First, I’ll go see the Macy’s Day parade while my brother works at the Apple Store (It is not a Gallagher Thanksgiving unless one of us is working). Then, I will come back to my apartment to my roommate and my brother cooking a Thanksgiving Feast. I plan to grab the pumpkin pie out of the fridge, plop myself on a comfy chair in the living room and enjoy my Thanksgiving meal. Although I will be missing Pennsylvania Thanksgiving/Birthday, my first NYC Thanksgiving/Birthday will be one to remember.
–Casey
Thanksgiving will be a fun one this year. The younger of my two older brothers recently relocated with his family to Long Island. Now, for the first time in many years, all of us live in the same state and even better…we are all about 30 minutes from each other. This year, Thanksgiving will be spent at my brother’s house. It will be a smaller holiday but I am looking forward to getting to spend it with my brother, his wife and their two very cool kids (and my husband and parents of course – that’s a given!)…something we did not get to do very often when they lived in Virginia. We will miss my oldest brother and his fiancé at the Thanksgiving table this year while they escape to the Florida sun. My sister-in-law’s parents will also be present which means I can expect to see a fair amount of scotch drinking among the men and hear lots of very loud talk about politics. I’m thinking I’ll escape with the kids to play Wii when that starts.
–Michele