Main piece:

“I get ready and we have an early dinner at this country club that sucks because we have to go with all my extended family and it’s always catered and not as good. And then we get home, change into pajamas, and have a home-cooked meal that I helped prepare in between the breakfast and first dinner.”

Background:

Informant is a first year student at the University of Southern California who grew up in Seattle, Washington. She has grandparents and cousins that also live in the Seattle area, and she goes home to be with her mother, father, and younger brother during the holidays.

Context:

The informant and I were discussing our Thanksgiving traditions one evening, and this was recorded then.

Commentary:

While many people use Thanksgiving as an opportunity to gather with their extended family and share a home-cooked meal, the informant’s tradition is a bit different. Instead of sharing a meal at home, they go to an early dinner with their family, something that the informant does not look forward to, and then come back home and have their more traditional dinner in their pajamas, with just their immediate family.