The holiday of Thanksgiving does not occur on the same day every year. Last year, it was Nov. 25, and in 2012, it will be Nov. 22.  This year it was on Nov. 24.  The date is not the only thing about Thanksgiving that changes every year;  Thanksgiving menus have evolved to include more than just turkey and mashed potatoes.

“[As a Greek,] instead of eating turkey, my family eats lamb,” Haralambos Tsiakopoulos (12) said.

Since elementary school, students have learned that the Native Americans introduced new foods and lifestyles to the English colonists.  Thanksgiving is a holiday about experiencing new things.  The United States is a melting pot, so it is only natural that new cultures would bring new menus.

“My family is 50% Irish and 50% Mexican. We have the traditional Thanksgiving meal with an addition of tamales and Spanish rice,” Erin Navarro (9) said.

The tradition of Thanksgiving is diversity.  There has never been one specific menu or style of celebration.
“I just eat turkey and mashed potatoes with my family,” Allison Bomba (12) said.

However, it does not matter what you are eating on Thanksgiving; what matters is that you are with the ones you love and thankful for the indulgences that you have.