What are you thankful for? Some may say their family, friends or even a favorite hobby, but have you ever asked yourself why it’s important to celebrate a day of thanks in the first place?

Thanksgiving dates back to colonial times and as most of you may know, it all started with the Pilgrims and Native Americans. In 1621, the Plymouth Colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest that is known today as the first thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving was celebrated by individual colonies and states for more than two centuries, until 1863, when President Abe Lincoln proclaimed that the gathering of family and friends will be held on the fourth Thursday in November every year.

While no record exists of the exact food at the first feast, according to Pilgrim chronicler Edward Winslow journal, “Governor Bradford sent four men on a “fowling” mission in preparation for the event, and that the Wampanoag guests arrived bearing five deer.”

Thanksgiving in the twenty-first century consists of a turkey, side dishes, and an array of pies, but these food trademarks didn’t come from the pilgrims. They had no oven and the meals did not feature desserts or modern day foods that are now traditional to those who celebrate Thanksgiving.

“I look forward to getting together and spending time with out of town family, eating a lot of food, and watching thanksgiving football,” says sophomore Alyssa Guyon.

Some students spend the day in a less traditional way. Junior Chloe Forrant spends the day before Thanksgiving skiing at Okemo, a ski resort in Ludlow, Vermont. They have a complimentary turkey dinner on Wednesday night and then Forrant and her family ski the next morning until about noon. After that, they head home and have a “normal” dinner with her relatives.

“We’ve been doing this tradition since I was about 6 years old, and we go because we have a timeshare and it’s less crowded,” said Forrant.

Here at Ludlow High School, the Nation Honors Society holds an annual Mayflower marathon. The Mayflower Marathon is a traditional food drive, where everyone one who wants to give, donates cans or nonperishable food items to their class advisors. This year, it turned into a battle of the classes and the class that donates the most cans gain points.

Many local soup kitchens can use volunteers to deliver meals to people that are homebound, serve food, or even clean up afterwards. Also, give to those who are less fortunate by bringing non perishable food items to local food pantries.

“I’m thankful for being healthy, so I volunteer at the Ronald Mcdonald House in Springfield to help out kids that aren’t as lucky as I am,” says sophomore Joe Forzano