Many Liberty students celebrate Thanksgiving, but everyone has a different meaning of the holiday. Thanksgiving typically celebrates the things people are thankful for through traditions and gatherings.
Delilah Espinoza-Kroona (she/her), 9, stated her favorite moments of Thanksgiving with her family.
“I love being with my family and getting reunited with them. My family and I only get to see them once a year at Thanksgiving, so when I get to see them it always makes me feel so grateful, especially knowing that not everyone gets the opportunity to see their loved ones on Thanksgiving,” said Espinoza-Kroona.
Espinoza-Kroona explains the meaning of Thanksgiving to her and what she’s most thankful for.
“Honestly, I really just take the time to think about everything that I have and how grateful I am for my family and friends, I’m surrounded by amazing people in my life and just getting to take the time to be thankful for them means a lot to me, especially because I know there’s people who don’t have anyone to be thankful for,” stated Espinoza-Kroona.
Many students have at least one family tradition that they do on Thanksgiving, whether that’s watching football or hanging out with cousins. Espinoza-Kroona doesn’t do either of those things. Instead, she has a more unique tradition.
“A tradition that I do with my family on Thanksgiving is that I make dinner with my grandma. When I was younger it was harder to make the bigger dishes like the turkey, but now that I’m older and can understand the recipes, it’s just something I cherish more, especially now that I’m getting older,” explained Espinoza-Kroona.
Students aren’t the only people who have a connection with Thanksgiving. Camille Chalkley (she/her), a science teacher, shares what she’s most thankful for this Thanksgiving.
“I’m really thankful for my family, my friends, my loved ones and the people I work with. It’s just having loved ones around you that support you and are here for you, and that you’re there for them as well,” stated Chalkley.
Along with Espinoza-Kroona’s tradition, Chalkley’s unique tradition is very special to her and her family.
“When I was a kid, we had a tablecloth, and every year my family members would write something we were thankful for on the tablecloth. We’ve had this since ‘96, which was when I was a baby, so my mom started writing it, and then every year we would write something different that we were thankful for. I mean, when I was a kid it would just be little drawings, so it’s kind of cool to see how that’s changed,” stated Chalkley.
Thanksgiving is a meaningful holiday to many, and these are just a few people around Liberty who connect with the holiday by celebrating with family, friends and unique traditions.
