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Don’t forget to give thanks to your loved ones this Thanksgiving!

Have you been counting down the days till Thanksgiving? Well, my classmates and teachers have! In my opinion, Thanksgiving is one of the top three best holidays due to the delicious food. Not only do our Royals like the holiday, but they also have some pretty entertaining stories regarding this special day. So, here are my (and some of your favorite Royals’) top three Thanksgiving foods!

1. Stuffing

I did not like stuffing until three years ago (that was also the first time I had ever tried it). Now, I understand it can be a little intimidating, but my mom’s is the best and only stuffing I will eat. Director of Counseling Mrs. Lee also loves stuffing: “My favorite item is stuffing – but without celery, if possible, ’cause celery is gross. I stand by that 100%. A close second is cranberry sauce (the kind that comes in the can because I love it so much, don’t judge me), pumpkin pie, and green bean casserole (the kind that is bad for you and made with Campbell’s cream of mushroom and fried onions on top). Everything else is like… lower on that totem pole for me… with mashed potatoes last.”

2. Mashed potatoes

Specifically, mashed potatoes with gravy are popular with Royals. Although they tend to get cold the quickest, they are normally the first thing I eat off my plate. Sophomore Melissa Lopez would put them first on her list: “My favorite Thanksgiving food is mashed potatoes; I would rank mashed potatoes a 10/10.” Ava Ibarra ’26 shares her love for mashed potatoes as well: “I think mashed potatoes are super good. I like the smoothness and how easily they can be paired with any type of food.”

3. Pumpkin pie with a leftover sandwich

I do not like pumpkin, but there is something about homemade pumpkin pie with whipped cream on Thanksgiving. A sandwich of leftovers from my mom’s dinner is a close second, so, I am calling it a tie. Mrs. Grasz is spot on with her rankings; she shared, “My top Thanksgiving foods are pumpkin pie at number two and a leftover turkey sandwich on a soft, white roll at number 4.”

Some Thanksgiving foods that never made it into my rankings are pizza, rolls, candied yams and turkey. Let’s hear from our teachers and Royals about those! Mr. Aragon has a more unique favorite food: “I like to eat pizza during the Dallas Cowboys game which is usually at 1:30 pm. I will find a hole-in-the-wall pizza place that is open on Thanksgiving. That is what I like to eat.” My dad would probably prefer that as well, considering that he puts his Cowboys shirt on the second we come home from our turkey trot. Elizabeth Bratz ’27 responded with, “My top three favorite Thanksgiving foods are mashed potatoes, candied yams, and turkey.” Those are some good holiday food staples!

On the other hand, Senior Addi Gutierrez is not the biggest fan of Thanksgiving foods. She is more of a dessert and appetizer person: “My favorite is the apple pie. I like to have vanilla ice cream with it because that makes it a 20000/10. I don’t really like the dinner food, just dessert, so I usually just eat the rolls at dinner. I lowkey give those a 6/10, but better than everything else. Then my mom tells me I have to have protein, so I eat turkey and I become really sad, and I give that a 1/10.” Wow!

Now that we’ve established the best Thanksgiving foods, let’s hear some funny Thanksgiving stories!

Mrs. Grasz adds, “In my family, FOOD is everything! One year, about 20 years ago, my dad (top chef of the family) used whipping cream instead of milk in the potatoes. Did NOT taste the same. To this day, my brother still gives my dad a hard time asking him before he takes a bite at thanksgiving, “Dad, are you sure you made these right this year?!?” 

Melissa has more of a traumatic experience than a funny story: “When I was 5, I was super sick during Thanksgiving and all I could eat were mashed potatoes. On the drive over to my grandparents’ house, my mom told me not to tell anyone that I was sick. I didn’t listen and yelled out across the whole table that the reason I was eating so many mashed potatoes was because I was sick and if I didn’t, I would get explosive diarrhea. In the end, the whole table was shocked and laughing but my mom got super embarrassed and yelled at me the whole drive home.” 

Ava’s family Thanksgiving might have good potatoes, but her stuffing is a different story. She shared, “I do not like stuffing at all, not because it is gross, but because for some reason my stuffing is always fuzzy. I am not sure what the fuzz is, but it is not very appetizing.” Yikes! I know where I won’t be spending my Thanksgiving.

Mrs. Lee reflects, “I just always make an effort to be grateful during the season. I spend time equally on both sides of the family (mine and my husbands) and one does Thanksgiving food, and one does Korean, so I luckily am not eating the same thing twice. Thanksgiving is literally my favorite holiday, so it means a lot to me to spend time with my family. I also take the time to text everyone I am grateful for that year… but that’s just me.” I couldn’t agree more, Mrs. Lee! Thanksgiving is all about showing gratitude.

Overall, it sounds like the Rosary community has pretty good taste when it comes to Thanksgiving favorites! Make sure to sign up for your local turkey trot and give thanks!