With Thanksgiving Break slowly approaching, people are becoming increasingly excited about the events coming up within our community. Thanksgiving is a time of relaxation and family bonding while spending hours preparing turkey dinners with fresh pumpkin pie. Along with these family traditions, people celebrate Thanksgiving by attending events in and around our area like watching Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, shopping on Black Friday, and participating in charity events to help others enjoy a turkey dinner during the holiday.
The annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will take place on November 24, 2022, from 9 am-noon in New York City. This event is full of excitement through the numerous performances and visual displays. For this year’s parade, along with the 27 giant balloons, “there will be 7 balloonicles, 31 floats, 12 marching bands, 10 performance groups and plenty of clowns,” said Free Tours by Foot. There will also be 13 performers at the parade such as Big Time Rush and Emma Broyles, crowned Miss America on ​​April 7, 2022. This parade will be streamed online, but is also available for people to watch in person. Tickets aren’t required, and there are 2.5 miles of space for people to watch the parade!
Another popular activity during Thanksgiving break is Black Friday. People wake up at the crack of dawn to go shopping at their favorite stores holding major sales. People often use Black Friday to get a jumpstart on holiday shopping for their friends and family. Black Friday always takes place the Friday after Thanksgiving. “For those who don’t want to line up outside of stores, online Black Friday sales generally kick off at the same time, or even a bit earlier than in-store sales,” said Blackfriday.com staff. Shopping online during Black Friday is a more efficient alternative to waiting outside in long lines very early in the morning.
Families often spend lots of time cooking their Thanksgiving dinners, but many people don’t have the means to have a Thanksgiving dinner. People can help by donating non-perishable items and classic Thanksgiving dishes. Through November 18, 2022, the Cherry Hill Food Pantry, Jewish Family and Children’s Services (JFCS), Croft Farm, and the Cherry Hill Public Library will be collecting food donations to help others have a Thanksgiving dinner. The Sun Newspapers says that “food items can include thanksgiving items like stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce etc., cereal, tuna, soups, pasta, pancake mix and syrup, peanut butter and jelly, canned veggies and fruit, laundry detergent, juice, rice, snacks and pasta sauce.”
There are multiple exciting activities and events coming up in November to celebrate Thanksgiving and to help those in need. Families are strongly encouraged to take time to step aside from their traditions and create new ones by volunteering and donating to help others celebrate Thanksgiving.