Thanksgiving, is one of the biggest American holidays, but not everyone in the United States of America celebrates “Turkey Day” the same way. So, what exactly are the different ways we all celebrate, and where did the beginning of those traditions come from?

After the first Thanksgiving, the holiday was only celebrated very sporadically until Abraham Lincoln got involved. In 1863 Abraham Lincoln signed Thanksgiving into existence as a national holiday, and since then people all across the country have been celebrating. However, we are not the only country to celebrate a national day of giving thanks; other countries have their own version of the holiday. Our neighbors to the north, Canada, have their own Thanksgiving in October, which was celebrated on Oct. 9 this year. The Canadian Thanksgiving is a harvest celebration that was started back in Europe. Back to the American holiday, the rapidly approaching autumn feast is popular among students at Highland Park High School. Caleb Lewis, a freshman at the school, visits his grandmother in Garland every year. While his traditions don’t take him out of the state, Lewis does take a short trip to his traditional Thanksgiving location every year. Another student, freshman Ben Cruickshank, is from the nation of Australia. Because of Cruickshank’s nationality he does not celebrate the American Thanksgiving, or any other Thanksgiving. However, one aspect of  American Thanksgiving has worked its way into Ben’s family’s traditions: stuffing.

“All we eat is stuffing,” Cruickshank said. “That’s it, then we just have our normal dinner.”

While not everyone in the country celebrates the holiday the same way, but it is still nationally recognized.

Nearly 46 million turkeys are eaten every thanksgiving, the highest count of turkey consumption for any holiday. Thanksgiving is one of the most popular holidays in the country, and is very popular among students at Highland Park High School. While some parts of the holiday may have been lost over the years, and Black Friday has been slowly encroaching on the sanctity and solemnity of the spirit of the holiday. Thanksgiving has managed to remain a time when we pause and give thanks for everything we have been given.