Thanksgiving can be a stressful time of year, but here are some tips on how you can still make it memorable.

Since Thanksgiving is all about the food, it is important to first plan out what you are going to eat. When I think of Thanksgiving, my mind immediately goes to turkey and stuffing. Common sides for a turkey entree are green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, and biscuits. For dessert, people typically have some sort of pie, but of course, everyone still has their own traditions of what to eat. You can have whatever you’d like, but those are just the classics. Along with the food, there are many other traditions that follow Thanksgiving: Football, travel, the wishbone, and the parade.

Thanksgiving football, which originally started in high schools and colleges, has become a huge tradition that many families follow. Thanksgiving is also the most traveled day in the nation because everyone always loves to visit family and friends! Known as one of the most common traditions, the separating of the wishbone has been around for many years. Legend says, whoever gets the larger side of the wishbone, gets to make a wish for someone other than themselves and it will come true. The Macy’s parade, another holiday festivity, always comes on from 9 am to noon, according to NBC. With all of the balloons and performances, it is an annual event that entertains everyone. Nicole Brown, a freshman at Padua, tells the story of her typical Thanksgiving day. She says, “We usually get up and go to my Pop-Pop’s house. Then, all of the women, which is like ten or more people, start cooking the whole meal. While it cooks, we all watch the game that is on and get our Pollyanna’s for Christmas. As soon as that’s done, we sit at the table and talk about old memories. A bunch of us then go shopping that night. It’s really fun, we all have a great time.”

Many people stress over not only what to eat or what traditions to follow, but whether or not their guests will have a good time at their houses. Ordinarily, people have family over, and occasionally a few friends. No matter who you have over, your company is sure to have a good time. Because whether you have take out, or make your own food, your family and friends are sure to love it! Don’t stress over the holidays too much; they’re only a few days out of the year.