What is The Difference Between Thanksgiving and Christmas Food?

Thanksgiving came and went, leaving many families with an excess of leftovers. Where does that food go? Does it make it the month to Christmas? The public generally agrees: there’s a clear separation between the food eaten at Thanksgiving and Christmas. But why? Some of our fellow students offer their opinions.

In terms of food allowed, Ty Stokes (12) explains that his family has a traditional meal that he can’t deviate from. Stokes explains that “My grandma wouldn’t let me make my famous homemade tiramisu because it doesn’t fit the holiday,” but was then allowed to bring his tiramisu to the Christmas gathering. Many familial traditions call for stricter rules around Thanksgiving because of the cultural expectations. These expectations are especially apparent in the food eaten.

Gavin Albrecht (12) has a slightly different familial standard, explaining that “turkey is for Thanksgiving and Christmas is more of a ham holiday.” Albrecht’s household has subconsciously created the expectation to differentiate food, especially meats, between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Psychologically, the food doesn’t translate from the two holidays, especially with the social results of changing seasons. Christmas is generally colder, and historically, people stopped hunting as the days got shorter around the winter solstice. People spend more time together in the harsh winter, and more food is needed in a centralized location as people gather, leading many to lean on livestock rather than game or poultry like turkey.

The history of Christmas and Thanksgiving as seasonal celebrations, separate from religion, shows that these holidays are heavily associated with the winter solstice and the end of harvest, respectively. Pigs were the most prevalent livestock and were the easiest to slaughter in large numbers after the shorter days that led up to the winter solstice, while crops like corn had recently been harvested, and daylight lasted long enough to hunt turkey around Thanksgiving. These natural phenomena have subconsciously shaped American culture on the basis of food.

Going back to tradition and how the majority of households have stricter expectations for Thanksgiving, it is apparent that the solstices have always been a time of feasting and gathering. Christmas, or any early winter holiday, is an extension of this. All cultures have a version of celebration that takes place, emphasizing the social aspect of meals, often leading to excess and the general collection of any food available. By contrast, Thanksgiving began to cement the relationship between a small group of persecuted pilgrims and a tribe of helpful natives. The meal is traditionally composed of what was available at the time, and emphasizes the act of communion to celebrate grace in the face of adversity. The specific details that separate these closely related celebrations, the changing seasons that lead to societal shifts later in the year, and the modern commercialization that subconsciously differentiates the two are all factors in how Thanksgiving and Christmas food differ, but none of it really matters once the New Year comes around and people have resolutions to worry about.