Each year a live turkey is presented to the President of the United States.
They participate together in the food preparation. People eat roast turkey with cranberry sauce, potatoes and pumpkin pie for dinner.
Another popular way to spend the day is watching NFL football. The Detroit Lions are a traditional team that plays a game nearly every Thanksgiving.
The day after Thanksgiving is called Black Friday and it is the biggest shopping day of the year. You can find sales!
One of the best things about Thanksgiving is spending time with family. Many people live far from family members and travel long distances by car, train, or plane.
Some families include breaking the turkey's wishbone. Two people each take one end of the bone, make a wish, and pull. Who has the larger part of the bone gets her/his wish!
Many cities have large parades on Thanksgiving Day. The most famous parade is the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City. During the parade you can see marching bands, floats, performances and giant helium-filled balloons.
Thanksgiving is a great time to help people. Some people volunteer to serve food to homeless. Many organisations also prepare a free meal for poor people.
