Thanksgiving – Baron Media Network

Friendsgiving

By: Maecy Hunt

Friendsgiving might honestly be one of my favorite modern traditions out there. It’s basically Thanksgiving—but with your friends instead of family (and usually way fewer awkward political debates). It’s become a chill, cozy way for teens and young adults to celebrate friendship, gratitude, and, of course, food.

The best part? There are zero strict rules. Some groups do it the weekend before Thanksgiving, others wait until after. You basically just pick a day, invite your favorite people, and make sure there’s food. Lots of food. The main idea is simple: hang out, eat good stuff, and take a break from school, work, and life in general.

Most Friendsgivings are potluck-style, which means everyone brings something to share. Someone brave might take on the turkey (or just grab a rotisserie chicken), while others show up with mac and cheese, desserts, or drinks. It’s not about perfect recipes—it’s about everyone pitching in. Although, let’s be real, there’s always that one friend who insists on cooking the whole meal so the rest of us can just relax and enjoy.

But Friendsgiving isn’t only about stuffing your face. It’s also about remembering why we’re thankful for the people in our lives. Some groups do gratitude notes or go around sharing what they appreciate most; it sounds cheesy, but it’s heartwarming and it’s a good reminder to stay grateful.

In a world that’s always rushing, Friendsgiving gives us a moment to slow down, laugh too hard, and make memories that stick. Whether you’re at a fancy dinner table or sitting on the floor with paper plates, it’s not about the setup, it’s about the people you’re with. Because honestly, the best part of Friendsgiving isn’t the food—it’s the friends.

Thanksgiving Food Power Rankings

By: Anna Kate Coker

Now that Thanksgiving break has come to an end and I have had my fair share of Thanksgiving themed lunches and dinners, I have decided to rank my favorites to least favorites food items. I feel like I have gained a great understanding of what deserves the top pedistoles and what doesn’t.

Mac and Cheese

I do not know how good the mac and cheese is at other families’ gatherings but my grandma makes the best mac and cheese in the whole world. Normally, it would not be getting my top overall choice but this year it was just even better than the previous. The mac ratio and the cheese ratio was just perfect so thank you Mimi for giving me this delicious food.

Sweet Potato Casserole (specifically with pecans and brown sugar on top)

During my Thanksgiving lunch at Uncle Billy’s pond house, I decided to put a spoonful on my plate. It was so good I had to go back and get more. The toppings made it even better with the scrumptious sugary goodness. Whoever made this dish deserves a Christmas gift this year from me because it changed my life.

Turkey is overrated. Ham is the way to go and I am not just saying this because I am biased and have worked at Honey Baked Ham. Paired with the hickory honey mustard it is so good. Heat it up and put it on a biscuit and it is just the best thing ever. I will pick ham over turkey every single time.

Mashed Potatoes

Lowkey, mashed potatoes can deserve to be placed higher but without the accompaniment of the other 3 food items, it just is not that good alone. I prefer them without gravy and more on the buttery and creamy side so they still make my list, but not on the top three.

Best Holiday of all time

By: Bryce Hanson

In honor of Holiday season, I will be writing about the best holiday of all time. Like always there is a certain criteria to be the best holiday, and that is: holiday originality, holiday participation, and holiday food.

To start with holiday originality, you must know what that means in my definition. What is the original purpose and meaning behind the holiday. The most commonly known Holidays for their origin is Easter, Christmas, Thanksgiving, and for good reasons too. Easter with the rising of Jesus again, and Christmas with the birth of Jesus. Then Thanksgiving with the feast between natives and explorers. But the holiday with the best purpose in my opinion is Christmas not only because it’s a celebration of Jesus Christ, but also because it’s a holiday that brings everyone together. No matter what it’s almost impossible to be mad on Christmas. It’s a holiday where everyone takes a pause from the real world and gets together with friends and family.

Then we move on to the holidays with the most participation in the world. Of course we revert back to Christmas, Easter, and special holidays like Halloween. The participation in these holidays are massive, but not worldwide. The most celebrated holiday may come as a surprise for a few,but it is Mother’s Day. The reason I think it’s the most celebrated is because obviously everyone loves there mother, but it’s the most celebrated because there are more people with Moms than dads. Which is a sad fact but that’s why this holiday is so massive.

Lastly comes holiday food, which is not as important as the last two factors but it’s some peoples favorite thing about a holiday. There’s Easter with the signature candy, then Christmas with cookies and delicious meals. But the most signature holiday with overall best food is Thanksgiving. Even if turkey is not your thing thanksgiving has so many options to choose from to satisfy your needs. This Holiday is just above the rest with food and rightfully so since it started with a feast.

So this brings us down to the man question: “What is the best holiday of all time?” To answer that question you have to look back at my criteria and you will see that Christmas is the best. It has some of the best food, and second most participation, and the best origin story. It’s just the best option for a holiday.