Welcome to A Girl's World's

Festival of Fun!

Every Thanksgiving my family and I sit at the table and write down everything we are thankful for. Then we all go to the living room and everyone shares what we wrote down. Then we make a frame out of things around the house and hang what we wrote up and we leave them up till we all come back for Christmas.

Ashley, 12, California

Every year at Thanksgiving we go to my grandmother's house. We start off the day by playing sports. We always play kick ball first. Then we play volleyball, baseball, and basketball. We even play football. The girls play sometimes and they don't even get hurt. Once when I played I made the winning touchdown. Then we eat, there is so much food I never know what to eat first. After we eat we rest for a while, maybe even watch a movie or two then we return outdoors where we play hide and go seek, and that's my Thanksgiving Day.

Alaina, 12, Alabama

My family and I sometimes go to my Grandparent's house for Thanksgiving, and when we do, my aunt or mom plays the piano and we sing songs. At dinner time we all take a turn to say two things we are thankful for, and then we eat the feast. At night my cousins and I usually have a slumber party. We play games and invent games that we all enjoy. Then in the morning we do a play that we had worked on the night before for the whole entire family.

Mallory, 11, Idaho

Every year for Thanksgiving my family goes to my grandma's house. We usually spend the entire day there, with my mom and aunts helping Gram cook Thanksgiving dinner. The kids go outside to Gram's huge backyard and play ball or make piles of leaves and jump in them. We'll eat Thanksgiving dinner, and when it gets dark, my dad and uncle build a bonfire in the backyard, and we all roast marshmallows. My dad likes to scare us by telling creepy stories. It's a lot of fun!

Shan,14, Pennsylvania

Last year we had Thanksgiving at my Grandmother's house. That year I got moved from the little kid's table to the adult table. Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes & gravy and Tamales were some of the foods that we had. After the dinner we went outside with my cousins and made forts and swung at the pinata. That was my most memorableThanksgiving.

Lauren, 8, Rhode Island

I remember one year our whole family was on a diet so we said that we wouldn't have a big Thanksgiving meal. Well, when we got to my gram's house, we had all kinds of stuff like 3 types of meat,11 types of veggies, rolls and 10 desserts! There went the diet. My gram was being serious when she asked if we had enough. We had enough all right, enough to feed an army!

Sarah,14, USA

Every year, my family and I sit down to a huge feast that my wonderful mother has prepared. We all bow our heads and say a little prayer thanking God for everything we have. After that, we dig in until our stomachs hurt!! A memory I am very fond of is helping my mom make cheesecake...mmm..mmm..my favorite!!! She told me to mix it with the electric mixer. So I got up on a stool and turned it on.....way too high!!! The whole mixture splattered all over!! I thought she was going to get mad at me, so I started to cry, but my mom picked me up and said it was all right!! I still felt bad though. So she started cleaning up, and of course I helped her the best I could. I will never forget the love in her eyes as she said it was ok!!!

Sheila, 14, Nevada

The night before Thanksgiving I always stay over at my grandma's house. We make all the food and things. After we get done we play cards, Scrabble or Yahtzee. One year I made 7 pies at one time!! The next day we put the finishing touches on everything we did the night before. Around 1pm our whole family gathers at my grandma's house. First we eat dinner. Then, if weather permits, all of us cousins go outside and mess around. One year we built a 7 foot-tall snow man! If it is too cold or raining we go down to the basement and make up our own games. I ALWAYS look forward to Thanksgiving at my grandma's.

Elisha, 13, Nebraska

My family and I have never had a traditional Thanksgiving. Each year we gather around together and write down each thing we're grateful for: our health, our family, the lives that we live. We write it up on fancy paper and hang it next to our beds so that when we're feeling down, we can realize everything we should be grateful for!

Hazel R., 12, Florida

Each Thanksgiving my mother cooks a big dinner. Some of the things that she cooks are the turkey (of course!), black-eyed peas, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and cranberries. This year it is different. This Thanksgiving my mother is not going to cook, my aunt is. The traditions that we have are always having my great-grandmother's baked macaroni, my grandmother's sweet potatoes with pineapples and marshmallows, and my aunt's homemade macaroni and cheese. Each Thanksgiving we either have someone come to our house or we go to someone else's house. As far as l can remember we never have gone to anyone else's house. These traditions are special to me because no matter what we do, we are always with family.

Danielle S., 11 New York

Every Thanksgiving my mom, dad, sister, and I go to my grandparents house for a Thanksgiving feast. A whole bunch of the family comes also. We don't have to travel far since my grandparents live in Kansas, and I live in XXXX Kansas. For our Thanksgiving dinner we have turkey, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, gravy, chicken, corn, beans, stuffing, and all kinds of pies. Before we eat we give our traditional thanks. Everyone must say what they are thankful for. Then we sit down to eat. After stuffing ourselves the whole family goes outside. The grown-ups talk about grown-up stuff, and the kids play games like tag or hide-and-go seek. After a long day everyone helps clean up, wash the dishes, then we all go home.

Katie W, 10, Kansas

Every year the weekend before Thanksgiving, we have Get Rid of Stuff Day. My mom and dad and brother and I open up our closets and the garage and get rid of all the junk. We give it to our Church's Thrift store so they can give clothes and toys to poor people during the holidays.

Victoria C 15, California

Welcome to Our 2006 Girl's World Thank-a-Thon!

Don't forget to check out the rest of our Thank a Thon! Read and share out the funniest or most embarrassing true stories that happened at Thanksgiving in Ouch! Enjoy the craziest, weirdest Thanksgiving dinner ever and what mixed it up in Mixed Up! And, read about the nicest thing that anyone's ever done that girls are thankful for in Thanks!

Memories from last year...

My dad is in the Navy and missed Thanksgiving and I was so bummed (including my mom and other 3 sisters). We missed him and he would be getting home from the six month cruise right after Thanksgiving day. Well my mom came up with a plan. We would have a second Thanksgiving! So the day or two after we had Thanksgiving over at our house ( It was at my aunt's on the real Thanksgiving day). We had pies, turkeys, potatoes, bread, everything! We had neighbors come over, friends, family and best of all my dad! Samantha, 13, CaliforniaI remember Thanksgiving when I was only 4 years old. There is a tradition. When it is the time for giving, the kids would wear new headbands and I remember that I wore a headband that had strings and junky, frizzy stuff all over it. It was funny because I started to throw things around and then my brother started to throw food then it was my cousin and then it was really big food fight and my father and mother also joined in. So now, every Thanksgiving, we have a food fight with our new clothes on!

Danielle, 11, United Arab Emirates

This is not my memory. It's my late grandmother's. My mom told me and now I'm telling you. My grandmother was a little girl during World War II when they could not eat any meat because they had to give it to the soldiers to eat. She was going to the market when she heard about a Thanksgiving turkey raffle. She entered... and won a live turkey! She ran home with Eugene the turkey, her new pet. When she got home she ran to get a blue ribbon for its neck. When she got back her dad was holding an ax and Eugene was taking its last headless steps!

Jessica, 11, Michigan

For as long as I can remember, every Thanksgiving my family and I would get in our van after our Thanksgiving meal, and then make up a bunch of plates of food, and take it around town, and give it to the homeless. One year we went to a shelter. I must say that the experience of doing something like that just makes you feel so good, like you made a difference in someone's life. Morgan,15, California My brother is 25. He never came for Christmas, Thanksgiving, or any other important events after he moved out. Sometimes it would make my mother cry. Last year, during our big dinner, there was a knock at the door. I answered it, and there stood my brother with a humongous bouquet of roses. He walked in and looked at my mother and said, "I'm home, Mom." It made my mom cry, but it will always be our favorite Thanksgiving.

Kathleen, 11, Texas

Every Thanksgiving my family and I take a ship to Catalina Island. We rent a beach house. I also get to take one of my friends. Cool huh! My Grandma makes Thanksgiving dinner, Then my Uncle takes us for ice cream and to the video store. The next day my aunt takes us to Toy's 'R Us. Then we leave. And when we get home to California I pack all my bags and hop on a plane back to Nevada. Kimmy, 11, NevadaEvery Thanksgiving me and my 2 little brothers put orange and brown paper chains around the house and then me and my mom cook dinner and my daddy and my brothers get the back yard ready because we have a big feast in the back yard and when we are done we play games and eat pumpkin pie or we go skating and we dance and just have a fun time.

Lelia, 13, Ohio

Once, on Thanksgiving day, there was a party at my school. We all went to school dressed up as pilgrims and Indians, and had to write something good about a boy if you are a girl, and vice versa. I wrote about this boy I liked, and the note said, "XXXXX is very nice and sweet" thinking that he won't know. We all performed plays and danced to music. Then, it was time to eat Turkey!!! Suddenly, we all realized that our notes were gone, but were toooooo hungry to care. The guy I liked came up to me and gave me a hug!!! I flushed with embarrassment when I found out that he read my note!

Sunny, 11, Singapore

Last year, a couple of days after my B Day, it was Thanksgiving and my whole family got together to have this big dinner and just talk. One of my aunties was gonna have a baby. The baby wasn't supposed to come for another two weeks. So we were having a good old time talking then my aunt said it was time. Then everyone went crazy. My grandma drove her to the hospital. My auntie named the baby Faith Marie. I will never for get that day.

Sharelle, 14, Colorado

When I was little and my mom was still alive, we would get into so much trouble together during Thanksgiving day. My grandmother would be busy making dinner and my mother and I would be running around the house messing it up and acting like children. Everyone would gather around the huge dining room table and pray and one by one we would tell GOD what we were thankful for that year. When it came around to my turn, I started crying because I was so happy to have my mom there with me. She had done so much for me and I was taking it all for granted. My mom came over to hold me and told me that everything was okay. Then the food was brought in and we spent a good hour eating and just talking, laughing and having fun... Now that my mom's been gone almost three years, I'm still thankful that I have my grandmother left here with me and I can spend Thanksgiving with her. I miss those times but we can only live for the future.

Jennifer,17 Missouri

This year I went to my Dad's for Thanksgiving dinner; well, actually I went to my Dad's mother's house for Thanksgiving dinner. Boy, I've never seen so much food in my life! I guess it's a good thing because 25 people came! There were six homemade pies and two store-bought pies brought by Uncle Jeff and Dad. No offense to men but I don't think they can cook as good as women. Some are born to be chefs and some are born to buy a pie and say they cooked it! Well, anyway no one in my whole family had ever tried to fry a turkey like you would a fish--but that's just what my Papa Van did and I have to say this, "It didn't taste half bad!"

Jenna B., 10, OK

On most Thanksgiving Days me and my family will drive to my grandmothers house. This year we didn't do that though. This year we started a new tradition. Everyone in my family made one dessert. My mom made a pumpkin pie, my sister made cupcakes, my dad made a pecan pie, and I made a chocolate ribbon cake. It was good. I think next year if we go to my grandma's house or stay home we will keep this yummy tradition.

Sara M. 10 MD

When I was six, my sister, my brother, and I put on a Thanksgiving play with hand puppets. We were behind a poster board. My sister played all the Indians and my brother played all the Settlers. I was the scene changer. I held up a turkey and said "gobble, gobble, gobble" It was my favoriteThanksgiving. I will always remember it.

Emily, 11, Illinois

One Thanksgiving we were about to eat dinner and my Uncle Jim took his guitar out and started playing a song he wrote. It went like this "When we come to eat our food and break our bread we have a family pastime". I remember that that was my favorite and BIGGEST Thanksgiving ever because we had Turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, beets, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, hot apple cider, pumpkin pie and chocolate silk pie. I will always remember that Thanksgiving.

Sky, 13, Nevada

Every Thanksgiving my whole family goes to my Aunt Kathy's house and eats a huge Turkey dinner. The week of Thanksgiving my sister and I are usually busy making a craft. You see we always make some sort of game for the family to do. Last year we made pilgrims out of popsicle sticks and felt for clothes. We cut tiny rectangles out of a brown paper bag for scrolls in their hand. Before dinner I put them by everyone's glass. I then made an announcement that they should write a thing or two they were thankful for. And to put them in a basket I had setup Later while they were eating dessert I took out my microphone and made everyone quiet. I then told them I was going to read the things that people were thankful for and they were supposed to guess who wrote it. It was a very fun thing to do. It is fun to do things like that with your family.

JdeF

My family has some Thanksgiving traditions, all of them great. My favorite tradition is that we throw a big party every year. All of our other traditions depend on the party. Out of everything at the party, my favorite activity is playing in leaves. When I was little, my second cousin and I played in the leaves. My second cousin, who is a lot older then me, would throw me into a pile of leaves. I would then jump out of the leaves and throw leaves at her. That is why I think playing in the leaves is the best.

Sarah U.

Our family always gets together and eats a big Thanksgiving feast. We also rotate houses a lot. When our distant relatives come over, the kids all go and play while the adults watch football. My mom's side of the family all love football, while on my dad's side, only the men and my mom, the women cook in the kitchen and mom helps while watching football. Every Thanksgiving, my mom makes a chocolate pie with chocolate chips. We have a big turkey and ham. Mom makes noodles and mashed potatoes and macaroni salad. That is how my family celebrates Thanksgiving.

Shelby B 12, Kansas, USA