Text: “For Thanksgiving, my family always celebrates the day before Thanksgiving and we sit at the table and go around saying what we’re thankful for. We’ve been doing that every year for as long as I can remember. And since we celebrate the day before, on actual Thanksgiving, we reflect on those things and it sets the tone for the day.”

Context: The informant grew up in Las Vegas, NV. Her parents are divorced, and so she grew up celebrating with one side the day before Thanksgiving, and the other side the next day. However, the sharing tradition is only on her dad’s side of the family.

Analysis: I believe that this tradition was implemented by the informant’s father’s side as a way of drawing attention away from the fact that her entire family doesn’t celebrate all together, like they may have in the past. I believe that it was a method put in place by her parent figures to bring positivity and gratitude to a situation that may have been less than ideal for a younger child. I also think it is a way of practicing mindfulness and communication with important people in your life meant to encourage similar discussion at other times.