With Thanksgiving coming up, it’s time for the gathering of family, large dinners, and delicious desserts.

Thanksgiving, which falls this year on Thursday,  November 24, excites some and marks the beginning of the holiday season. But for others, this might be horrifying and raise anxiety about the preparations and stress ahead.

Mrs. Saunders, who teaches on the Hele team, says Thanksgiving is her favorite holiday. She likes getting together with her extended family and especially likes the food traditionally cooked on Thanksgiving; but to be honest, who doesn’t?

On the table, people usually have turkey, ham, sweet potatoes, glazed carrots, pumpkin pie, stuffing, mashed potatoes, bread, casseroles, and cranberry sauce.

Based on a survey of nearly fifty MMS teachers, the most popular Thanksgiving food here at the middle school is stuffing; 36 percent of the staff chose it as their favorite. Among the stuffing lovers are Mrs. Streitman and Mr. Stephens, both Ignite teachers, along with sixth-grade All-star teacher, Mrs. McKay and eighth-grade Revolution student Ofelia Yeghiyan.

Most of the staff proved to be traditionalists: 18 percent chose turkey as their favorite, and mashed potatoes took third place with 13 percent of the vote.

But some staff members’ tastes are less traditional. Mr. Wojciechowicz likes to eat shrimp with pesto on Thanksgiving, Mr. Catullo stays faithful to his Italian heritage with spaghetti and meatballs, and Mrs. Golem tops her mashed potatoes with hot sauce rather than gravy.

Some options were less popular.  For example, Mr. Dadante was the lone staff member who likes pecan pie; and  macaroni and cheese, glazed carrots, and cranberry sauce weren’t picked as any staff members’ favorite food. But Laila Rains, eighth-grade team Revolution student, likes macaroni and cheese the best. And while eight grader Rachel Watkins said her favorite food to eat on Thanksgiving was bread, this food was also not picked as any staff members’ favorite.

For some, dinner isn’t the only treat of the day. Mrs. Davis, health teacher, likes to have a big breakfast with her family.

In addition to food, Thanksgiving is also a time for family traditions. Most staff reported their most cherished traditions simply include the family getting together. Mr. Palermo, MMS’s band teacher, said he travels to New York to see his family members. Mrs. Golem also travels to the beach in South Carolina, and  Mr. Carlson looks forward to seeing his brother, whom he rarely gets to see.

For some, such as Italian teacher Mrs. Marrotta, preparing dinner is a family affair. Mrs. Knapp also loves to cook with her daughter, and Mr. Yasenosky enjoys involving his children in making the stuffing.

Besides family, there are many other traditions the MMS teachers look forward to.  Some plan to relax after all of the food by watching T.V.–either football, a movie, or the Macy’s Day Thanksgiving parade. Mrs. Pahor and physical education teacher Mr. Shields, for example, said that watching football is their favorite way to spend the afternoon.

Others enjoy games. Mrs. Saunders’s Thanksgiving traditions include backyard football and card games, and Mrs. Gnjatic’s family plays charades after dinner.

At the home of Mrs. D’Amico, video production teacher, her family builds and decorates gingerbread houses. This is something she has been doing ever since her kids were little. Mrs. McGarry also gets crafty, making placemats with her kids.

Some teachers even like to break a sweat on Thanksgiving. Mrs. Pretnar, teacher on the Adventure Team, likes to rake leaves one last time with her family; and Mrs. Kerr’s family takes a nice long walk after dinner.

Several staff reported wasting no time in getting ready for Christmas. Mrs. Otto’s family watches the movie Christmas Vacation after dinner, Mrs. Mayer pulls names for her family’s “Secret Santa,” and Mrs. Bondra kicks off Black Friday shopping at midnight sharp. The day after Thanksgiving, Mrs. Farmer goes downtown to visit Santa with her nieces, and Mrs. Assing-Schroeder goes to pick out her family’s tree.

Even if a student or adult doesn’t like Thanksgiving, there is a solution: they could eat a lot of great food. As Mrs. Bakeman suggests, there should be “at least one pie per person.” Or as Mrs. Saunders said, “The best thing about this holiday is you can eat and eat and not feel guilty about it at all!”