In America, no Thanksgiving is the same. Side dishes and other customs vary from region to region–even from house to house. We asked three Uproar members to give us a thorough account of their Thanksgiving traditions, from culinary customs to travel plans. Below are their special takes on Thanksgiving.

Amanda: 

My typical Thanksgiving starts out like any normal day: I roll out of bed, instantly regret waking myself up, and fall back asleep for another 30 minutes.

Finally, when I actually feel like getting out of my bed, the first thing I do is check Twitter—I make it a tradition to post my “hApPy TuRkEy DaY:)” selfie on my Twitter every Thanksgiving; plus, I like looking at the memes.

I guess my Thanksgivings are kind of like my Saturdays, but usually on Saturdays I preoccupy myself with something to do. Since it’s a holiday, usually my teachers are pretty lax with the homework assignments, and every place I could waste time at is most likely closed. For the last four years, I’ve binge-watched Netflix TV shows. This year, I’m thinking Bojack Horseman.

 I usually celebrate Thanksgiving with my immediate family only, comprised of Baba (my father), Kevin (my little brother), and Mama (my mom). Mama and Kevin live in Buffalo, and they arrive in Pittsburgh usually on Wednesday night or Thursday night. That is the extent of my family’s traveling for the holidays.

 I try to help out my family with preparing our dinner as much as possible. Sometimes, we try to master small elements of the iconic American Thanksgiving—one year, I tried to make mashed potatoes, which resulted in a milky soup with bits of chunky potatoes; another year, my mom brought home “eggnog,” only to find out that it had been spiked with generous amounts of bourbon. Needless to say, we’re not great at the whole Thanksgiving thing. However, we always have that big, juicy, crispy turkey, filled with stuffing (aka celery and other various vegetables, but no actual bread stuffing).

 For side dishes, we use traditional Chinese cooking. We have bok choy, which we stir-fry in canola oil; fish or pork of some sort; tofu stir fried with eggs; cooked tomatoes and scrambled eggs; and rice–always our good old white rice.

 My little brother loves pumpkin pie (almost to an unhealthy extent), so we always get a gigantic one from Sam’s Club or Giant Eagle that lasts us a week.

 Sometimes, my dad invites his Chinese friends from work to celebrate Thanksgiving with our family, so I usually hide out in my bedroom so I can avoid awkward conversations about my future plans. However, when the guests leave, I always rejoin my family in time to watch some Chinese TV specials. We always FaceTime my grandparents on Baba’s side (Nainai & Yeye), and since China is 12 hours ahead, they are always adjusting their eyes to the morning light when we call them. We fill them in on the details of our Thanksgiving, and even though it rarely changes from year to year, they are always delighted to hear from us.

 Sometimes, I got a little sad when I saw social media posts of my friends with their huge, extended families, eating mashed potatoes that I could never master. It always felt like I was viewing Thanksgiving from the outside; when my family celebrated it, it felt like a made-up, second-rate holiday. Then I realize it’s Thanksgiving, and I have so much to be thankful for. I’ve never had a full Thanksgiving with every family member, but technology allows me to talk to them on Thanksgiving, or really on any day, for that matter. Besides, huge Thanksgivings can sometimes be disastrous (I’ve seen the YouTube videos). Our celebration of Thanksgiving makes me reflect on how hard my parents try to assimilate into the American culture to make Kevin and me feel as included and normal as possible. They grew up not knowing what a turkey even was, and now we eat one every November. 

I really don’t care if our Thanksgiving is flawed, because at least I have something to be thankful for (even if it isn’t delicious mashed potatoes or rowdy, large family gatherings).

 Overall, I’d say that Thanksgiving is a pretty great holiday. I’m constantly reminded of the things I am thankful for: food, no homework, and most importantly, Netflix. Oh, and I guess my family claims a spot, too. 

Nisha: 

Needless to say, coming from an immigrant, vegetarian family, my Thanksgivings have been anything but traditional. From the kinds of food we eat to the people we spend it with, each year has been different. But I like it that way. With my brother at college and my busy schedule, I like the time to relax and refresh myself before the hectic month of December.

Each year, I wake up and tell myself I don’t want to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. There is nothing more frivolous or unnecessary than a bunch of people carrying enormous cartoon balloons along the street to the sounds of rampant cheers. And yet, every year, I’m sitting in front of the television, watching it all happen. My family and I poke fun at the giant characters and the all-too-festive Santa Claus that eventually appears. As it ends and the dog show begins, I slowly make my way upstairs in order to get ready for the day.

Because none of our relatives live near enough to celebrate, I most often spend the holiday with my immediate family, either at home or watching a movie at the theater. Our schedules usually make us too busy to do anything throughout the year, so this is a nice way to spend our time.

You’re probably wondering what we eat on Thanksgiving. Generally, it’s just a normal meal, except with holiday touches. We add mashed potatoes or sprouts, and my parents make an apple pie. It’s definitely nowhere near the scope of a traditional meal, but it’s something nice.

As the day ends, we start to wind down by beginning Black Friday shopping. As materialistic as it is, we usually get good deals on clothes and gifts for the holidays.

As my brother graduates college and I graduate high school, I’m grateful that Thanksgiving will give us this opportunity to come together, eat, and relax.

Valerie: 

Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday because it involves my three favorite things of all time: food, family, and laziness. Thanksgiving is the holiday that brings my family together, whether it’s my immediate family, first cousins, or my entire mother’s side. Every year, the day is nothing but board games, a variety of food, and lying around.

For the past five years or so, I have gone to my cousins’ house in Maryland on Thanksgiving day morning, waking up at around 6:30 AM to get there in time to help my aunt prepare for all of the cooking. We’ve gone all over the country throughout my life for Thanksgiving, but in recent years, we’ve made it an annual tradition to travel to  Maryland.

This year, however, we are breaking this newfound tradition. My family is hosting Thanksgiving. Here. In Wexford. We are having seven of my relatives over, who come with their large appetites and two dogs. But I doubt anything will be different from any Thanksgiving we’ve ever had. Our entire family takes this holiday — or should I say, cooking for this holiday — very seriously.

My dad will wake up at around 5 AM to fire up the grill and prepare the turkey. My mom will then wake up at approximately 7:30 to continue turning the kitchen into a pigsty, after having slaved over the foods that needed to be prepared on Wednesday night. Then, my sister and I will wake up at around 9 AM, go downstairs in our pajamas, and then turn on the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Disclaimer: my sister and I will not be out of our pajamas until five minutes before dinner.

The rest of our family will arrive at around noon, which will immediately start the board games and constant chatter among all of us. The adults will ask my cousins and me to help with mashing the potatoes, seasoning the side dishes, or chopping carrots — all of which we will reluctantly do. Dinner is at 4:00; my family has always liked to eat earlier than usual because it gives us more time to 1) take our time eating and 2) digest properly. After the two-hour long dinner comes making the kids do all the dishes, lying around watching football, or playing yet another board game. Then, at around 7:00, it’s dessert time. There is usually pumpkin pie, vanilla ice cream, a cake of some sort, and sometimes even a streusel! The night ends with — you guessed it — watching TV or playing a board game.

Overall, the day is quite relaxing. We eat traditional Thanksgiving food, perform the traditional Thanksgiving rituals — eating an abundant amount of food and watching the NFL — and, most of all, enjoy the presence of others. It’s truly a wonderful time and I look forward to this special holiday every year.