In the United States, the modern Thanksgiving holiday tradition is documented as a 1621 celebration at Plymouth in present-day Massachusetts, when Pilgrims and Puritans emigrated from England. Today Thanksgiving Day is celebrated every last Thursday of November. According to Wikipedia, the celebration of Thanksgiving was originally “a day of public prayer to acknowledge any favors of Almighty God” however, it is celebrated in different ways.  Although Thanksgiving has historical roots in religious and cultural traditions, it has been celebrated in a secular manner as well.

“On Thanksgiving I usually go to my aunt’s house to have a special dinner with a small prayer and I end up playing video games with my cousins the rest of the day,” said freshman Jorge Ochoa.

Thanksgiving was originally celebrated as a day of giving thanks for the blessings and well-being of people. In our modern day, people tend to switch the meaning of holidays into a materialistic celebration where people look forward to the food they’ll be eating, instead of the moments they’ll spend with their relatives or loved ones.

When the question “What are you thankful for?” was asked to several people around Phoenix Military Academy, senior Xavier Martinez mentioned he was thankful for “his car” and senior Edgar Powell said, “I am thankful for Sweet Potato Pies.”

Holidays should be spent and celebrated with family members and those you care about, one should not only be thankful for the materialistic items in their life. It is important for people to appreciate the loved ones in their life and all of their support.

“I am thankful for Ms. Fairchild because she has helped me a lot,” senior Elizabeth Patino said.

Although society has developed a new way of celebrating or spending the holidays, some people still continue the religious and cultural bond that there is still to share in days like Thanksgiving.