Thanksgiving is more than an American tradition and is celebrated under different names, such as in several other countries: South Korea, Germany, Japan, Canada, China, Grenada, Vietnam, Liberia, Norfolk Island (Australia) and of course here in America.

Here at SFCC, we spoke with some of the students about their Thanksgiving traditions, and how they were to be spending this Thanksgiving.  While some students are from Spokane, some are recent transplants, or their family moved here when they were young and brought their traditions with them.

Sandy Riley who works at the SFCC Cafeteria grew up in Spokane, but her family is from Butte, Montana, said “Thanksgiving is about being thankful for the little things, and all the things we take for granted.

“We do a thing where we have a little box, and on the holidays we put pieces of paper with all the things we are thankful for,”  Riley said,  “and then on Thanksgiving, we take them out and read them.”

Riley said, “I will be spending time this Thanksgiving with my daughter, who is coming over from the University of Washington for the holiday.”

CJ Camacho and Braeshawn Blume are both working toward their associate’s degrees and both grew up in Spokane.  Camacho’s father came here from Guam and his mother from California, while Blume’s mother is from Des Moines, Iowa, and his father from Houston, Texas.

When asked, about what Thanksgiving meant to him, Camacho said, “time in front of the tube with family and be thankful for what you have.” 

“This year is special, my newborn niece will be having her first Thanksgiving,” he said.

Blume echoes many of the same sentiments, with his family coming from out of town and celebrating by “bringing out the old recipes, good food, making German chocolate cake and dad makes the turkey and uses extra seasoning. It is just good.”

For both Camacho and Blume, football will be a part of their Thanksgiving as well.

Hallie Kinzel and Jayden Mcconnell are new to SFCC and are both studying American Sign Language, with Mcconnell focusing on becoming an ASL translator in the court and legal systems. 

Kinzel splits her time celebrating Thanksgiving with her mom and dad separately.  This year, she is spending it here in Spokane with her dad and step-grandparents family.

“I go back and forth every other year.  This year with Dad, spending time with family and just being there for each other,” Kinzel said.

Mcconnell will also be spending Thanksgiving with family this year.

“I’m going to my aunt’s house, play pool, watch football and hang out,” Mcconnell said,  “For me, Thanksgiving means being thankful for having a family, because there are a lot of kids who don’t have families.”

Joshua Gresham a student at SFCC celebrates with his brothers and their families.

“We go to my brother’s house for the last 10 years…” Gresham said, “We eat at a big round table my brother orders for us and we have it for like a week.  We all sit around and eat and tell what we are thankful for.”

Food is important to Gresham’s Thanksgiving.

“Mom makes sweet potato pie and homemade whipped cream,” Joshua said. “My grandma passed 10 years ago, and mom still makes Grandma’s turkey recipe.  I don’t know what is in it, but it is the best I ever had in my life.”

But it’s about the new generations in Gresham’s family, too.  “We dress the kids up as Pilgrims and the littlest baby as the turkey,”  said Gresham.

Coming from Beijing, China, Annie Xiyo is new to Spokane, and to Thanksgiving.  “I just came here this summer. Been here one month,” Xiyo said.

Xiyo compares it to a Chinese holiday, Mid-Autumn Festival to Thanksgiving.  While Americans celebrate with turkey, the mainstay of the Chinese festival is the mooncake, so much so that it is also called the Mooncake Festival/Celebration.

With family so far away, Annie is spending the holiday with a friend of hers, also from China, and they plan to travel on Thanksgiving.

Whether you come from Guam, Iowa, Beijing, Texas or Spokane, Thanksgiving traditions seem to focus on family, good food and being thankful for what we have.

Happy Thanksgiving to all our readers and stay warm.