55 Reasons to Love Thanksgiving
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Photographs by Joe Lingeman, Food Styling by Liberty Fennell and Drew Aichelle, Prop Styling by Maggie DiMarco
1. Because this is the cook’s holiday.
This is the moment we’ve been waiting for. “We,” of course, being people who love cooking; “the moment,” naturally, being the blissful period between the first suggestion of Pumpkin Spice Anything and Black Friday sales, known to us only as Thanksgiving Season. It’s a time filled with giddy anticipation and planning, trial runs and list making, unreasonably animated group texts about turkey and yams. We are in our element.
Sure, there are those who would try to turn this special day into a series of problems to solve, to try to make it easier, faster, more efficient. Not us. Where some see issues, we see opportunities. To take an extra trip (or two, or three) to the farmers market. To spend a few perfect evenings in the company of a glass of wine and a stack of cookbooks. To consider tradition and consider mixing it up. To let a menu grow and grow, knowing that the only consequence will be more hours in the kitchen—a very happy consequence indeed.
Thanksgiving doesn’t just happen. We make it happen. Whether we’re hosting or cooking, showing up with a covered dish or just a zeal for pot scrubbing, we are torchbearers for a tradition of gratitude and generosity—a responsibility that we shoulder proudly. Let’s get started, shall we?
2. The appetizers can be your way in.
“An appetizer if you want!” That’s how a host who has been planning the meal since August will inevitably respond when you ask what you can bring. And if you have ambitions of someday being trusted with higher stakes parts of the menu—no newcomer will ever be trusted with the mashed potatoes—then it is an opportunity to prove yourself. Just make sure your offering doesn’t require any precious oven space. —Kelsey Jane Youngman
Our Favorite Thanksgiving Appetizers
3. Any day that starts with a parade is a good one.
4. It’s perfectly appropriate to wear a tie and slippers.
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5. This month the farmers market is our playground.
The summer farmers market has a fervent fan base and rightfully so. But true connoisseurs know that fall is actually the best time to be there. Instead of speeding through your grocery list before you’re sunburned, you can take your time and admire the bounty spread out before you. Sip hot coffee while you decide which gorgeous squash you want for supper (plus a pumpkin for the porch). Wear a cozy sweater as you sample “just one more” slice of Honeycrisp (this apple variety is great for pie). Stuff your tote with root vegetables that won’t burst all over your car on the way home (no disrespect, tomatoes). And if you’re hosting Thanksgiving, each trip to the autumn farmers market is an opportunity—to stock up, yes, but also to get inspired. —Emma Laperruque
6. Because you kinda have to buy that giant, crazy-looking squash, right?
7. Fresh cranberries do have a season, and that season is right now
8. It’s never too early to plan the music.
You can’t cook and DJ at the same time! Here are a few sure-to-please selections from the Bon Appétit art department to set the mood. For cocktail hour: Something/Anything? by Todd Rundgren and Life Stories by Ebo Taylor. For dinner: SOS by SZA and Calypso by Harry Belafonte. And for digestif/dessert: Flow State by Tash Sultana and Pensamientos by Juan Gabriel. Cue them up and let the good vibes roll.
9. Batons are meant to be passed.
Growing up, I spent as much time in the kitchen as I could, glued to my mother’s side and watching her work intently. We loved cooking together: hot breakfasts most days of the week, dinners after work and school let out, ambitious projects on the weekend, like my tween obsession with molten lava cakes.
But our big day, the one we made spreadsheets for and talked about for weeks, was always Thanksgiving. As her dutiful sous-chef, I was eager to learn, and the holiday became a cooking boot camp. I peeled mounds of potatoes, washed dishes, buttered parchment, and perhaps most importantly, sifted flours for popovers. You might think turkey would be the pièce de résistance of Turkey Day, but for my family, it’s all about the steaming hot popovers. My mother’s would bake up so tall that they toppled magnificently, deeply brown with bubbly streaks of Gruyère and specks of chives. (And might I add, they’re rather perfect as individual gravy boats on each person’s plate.)
So when I was 22, home for the holidays and ready to assist, I knew exactly what it meant when my mom handed over her trusty popover pan. It was my turn to create the menu, to take the lead in the kitchen, and, of course, to make the popovers. I’d been steadily gaining confidence as a cook, experimenting more, and fine-tuning my knife skills. And with that gift, my mom was telling me that she knew I was ready to handle it all.
I may have gone a bit overboard that first year, designing a 13-course menu that included a chestnut soup and an Alsatian potato pie, but I did it. My popovers rose to lofty heights, everyone was well-fed, and our traditions were safely in my care. —Kelsey Jane Youngman
10. Because delivery pizza hits different after a Wednesday pie making marathon.
11. Sugar-dusted pie scraps are a great snack while waiting for said pizza.
12. Not everything needs to be homemade.
Part of the joy of Thanksgiving is that we finally have the time to dive into ambitious recipes. Why not confit your turkey? Why not get scientific about the proofing process for your Parker House rolls? But experienced cooks know how to play to their strengths and be strategic about what they DIY and what they don’t. Give the rest of your menu the attention it deserves! Here are some store-bought swaps our staff can get behind. —Sam Stone
13. The grocery store becomes our town square.
The grocery store the day before Thanksgiving holds a special kind of magic. At first glance it appears chaotic: aisles packed with shoppers, carts piled high like oversized Jenga towers, and slightly frantic voices asking, “Where are the fresh cranberries?!”
Normally, this is a scene I’d avoid. I love an almost-empty store or grocery pickup. But not before Thanksgiving. I look forward to the hectic last-minute shopping frenzy every year. Why? Simply put: I love the vibe.
As soon as you step through the door, you can feel the effort that growers and grocery workers have put into preparing for this day. And we’ve prepared too. We’ve checked out new recipes, reminded ourselves how to cook family classics, and, most important, made a list. On this day, everyone has a list—whether jotted down or floating in the mental airspace. There’s not just food on it; our hopes for the holiday are there too.
These ambitions transform our familiar grocery store into a buzzing town square. The collective desire to create something meaningful softens us. People chat with each other, asking, “Ooh, what are you making with that?” They encourage each other with, “That looks good!” And they save each other too—whether it’s telling a stranger they can’t cook a 22-pound turkey from frozen in two hours or helping someone find the last missing item on their list.
After all the hustle and bustle, when we reach the checkout, we’ve already received our first real nourishment of the holiday—the kind that only a com- munity of strangers on a shared mission can provide. —Elizabeth Barbone
14. You get to break out the punch bowl.
My punch bowl has a permanent spot on my bar cart. It’s the place where toasts begin, cheers are offered, and good wishes are spoken. I found the Art Deco gold-leaf-on-crystal relic while trawling the most niche corners of the antiques internet for replacement pieces of my great-grandmother’s china. The floral and Greek-key pattern on the bowl and its 12 tiny cups were in excellent condition but discounted because the ladle and platter had been separated from the set—likely after too many trips to attics and basements. That didn’t bother me one bit. All I could imagine was a dozen people together, sipping the same cocktail, a new fixture at the center of my Thanksgiving celebration. —Jamila Robinson
Punch Recipes to Get the Party Started
15. It’s the only acceptable time to watch “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.”
16. “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” is only 30 minutes long.
17. Any sized gathering feels celebratory.
The first time we did a four-person Thanksgiving was during COVID, but ever since then it’s become a tradition for my parents, brother, and me. An intimate celebration is simply less stressful. There’s less shopping, less prep, and no crowd-pleasing— we make exactly what we want to eat. The only thing that isn’t ideal is that it doesn’t make sense to make more than one pie. Other than that: zero downsides. —Kate Kassin
18. Salad is always the sleeper hit.
Red Cabbage and Radicchio Salad
More Thanksgiving Salad Recipes
19. There’s no greater thrill than hosting your first Thanksgiving.
I’d wanted to host Thanksgiving since 1993. That was the year that my uncle, catering director at Chicago’s Ritz-Carlton, took charge of the holiday festivities for a decades-long streak interrupted only by his brief (and somewhat inconvenient for the rest of the family) move to California. It quickly became the kind of meal 10-year-old me wanted to dress up for—printed menus, espresso after the pie, cheeses I didn’t yet know how to pronounce—a real grown-up affair.
Twenty-four years later I got my shot. Space was tight at our place in New York, so it wasn’t hard to have a full house. My parents stayed in the Midwest to be with my grandmother who wasn’t up for cross-country travel, and so I opened my door to friends and their families who, for one reason or another, couldn’t travel any farther than the Bronx.
I made my first Thanksgiving as big as I could in that little house, pulling an eclectic menu from every corner of my bookshelf and the depths of the internet’s recipe archive. We had a scientifically tested turkey that taught me the how and why of spatchcocking, a fresh cranberry relish (because canned cranberry sauce will sit on my table over my dead body), and the creamiest mashed potatoes from an issue of this very magazine that I’d gotten in col- lege. And yes, we also had espresso after dessert and fancy cheeses—and 34-year-old me correctly pronounced it “mee-mo-let” at the cheese shop. A real grown-up affair. —Noah Kaufman
20. It’s your one opportunity each year to use the word “tablescape.”
Every year I forage table decorations from the woods of northern Wisconsin while deer hunting with my family. I collect things like branches with red berries, pine cones, dried leaves, and pieces of birch bark and arrange it all on the table with linens and candles. The table decor is the thing that takes the meal out of the everyday. You’re putting so much effort into the food, you really want it to feel like an experience. —Kelly Janke
21. You can call the Butterball Turkey Talk Line just to say hi.
22. Nobody actually expects a host gift. (But you can always surprise them.)
23. If the holiday just isn’t your thing, international airfare is usually more affordable this time of year.
Rather than argue about whose family we’re going to see over the holidays, my husband and I made our own tradition: international travel. This year, we’ll hop a redeye the night before Thanksgiving so we can wake up in Dublin. We’ll spend the day wandering the city’s bookshops before tucking into some local cuisine—no dry turkey or drama required. —Carina Finn
24. There’s always room for more potatoes.
25. You’re allowed to start drinking whenever you start cooking.
26. The best wine never has to leave the kitchen.
27. There are so many ways to show gratitude.
Thanksgiving is an invitation for us all to slow down and take stock of what we’re grateful for—whether that’s your community garden or your Tuesday night trivia crew. We asked readers on Bon Appétit’s Instagram broadcast channel how they express gratitude on the holiday. —Nina Moskowitz
We cover the table with butcher paper and write lists of thanks and joy. —Alicia McClintic
I donate to a food bank or volunteer to help serve meals. —Jeff Wayne
I include people at our dinner who will likely otherwise be alone. —Susan Bompadre
We fill a gratitude jar with notes, and play “guess-who-wrote-that.” —LaLa Allen
28. You can always do something new with the veggies.
Miso-Glazed Carrots With Scallions
Hazelnut Green Beans With Prosciutto
29. It can be the best takeout you order all year.
My family’s memorable but exhausting tradition of hosting and cooking for 40 relatives came to an end in 2022. At the peak of the “tripledemic” days before the holiday, my nine-months-pregnant wife and I helplessly stood watch over our two-year-old son as a wave of illness dulled his vibrant spirit. What started as a mild cough and fever devolved into shallow labored breaths and tremors. A 106-degree thermometer reading was the threshold crossed, inciting a frantic midnight trip to the emergency room. There, on the night before Thanksgiving, our toddler was diagnosed with simultaneous cases of RSV, the flu, and rhinovirus—a day care triple crown, if you will.
This story has a happy ending. A diagnosis and treatment began a long but steady at-home recovery. My parents called off their massive annual hosting duties and instead arrived at our home with a completely prepared and pack- aged Whole Foods Thanksgiving feast for four: a cooked turkey, the basic roster of surprisingly satisfying sides, and a page of heating instructions. The days of scrambling over rented tables, make-ahead sides, and endless cleanup were replaced by an absurdly easy meal served in its own leftover containers. The hours saved were spent emotionally and physically recovering as a family, with more than ever to be grateful for.
The take-out Thanksgiving is our new annual tradition. Cooking takes a back seat now, giving us more time to bond with our growing, healthy family. —Dan Siegel
30. Because of the way kids look at you when you hand them a special drink.
Thanksgiving is a family affair, and guests of all ages should get to experience moments that remind us that this isn’t your average dinner. As a kid, I remember holding out my cup for a pour of golden, fizzy, sparkling apple cider and the way that small gesture signified the specialness of the day. Now I’m on the other side, filling the cups of little ones with ice-cold Martinelli’s, watching eyes sparkle at the first sip. —Hali Bey Ramdene
31. It’s a day for team early dinner.
I’m a year-round early dinner fan. Reservations are easier to find, deals are more frequent, nights feel longer (with plenty of time for my evening routine). People usually roll their eyes at my 5:30 dinner plans, but never on Thanksgiving. It’s the one day when I can eat dinner at 4, have dessert at 6, walk my dog at 7, and be reading in my bed by 9—totally judgment-free. —Olivia Quintana
32. A delicious turkey is all about technique.
STORY COPY_NOT FOR RECIPE_1124_Reasons to Love Thanksgiving_Joe Lingeman_010.jpg
33. You have an excuse for a mini kitchen refresh.
Before you climb the mountain, you get to buy the boots. And when you cook and host Thanksgiving dinner, you have the perfect reason to replace some kitchen tools that have seen better days. You can (and should!) take this opportunity to sharpen knives and reseason your cast-iron skillets, but there are certain tools, like your Y-peeler or dull food processor blade, that just need to be bought anew. Here are a few upgrades that will make cooking on Thanksgiving that much more enjoyable. —Emily Johnson
34. When else do you get to have an argument about something as silly as stuffing with people you love?
35. The turkey carver gets to eat as much skin as they want.
36. The bread basket is always full.
1124_Reasons to Love_Bread Basket
37. Mac and cheese makes the Thanksgiving plate sing.
Like many Americans I regard mac and cheese as the ultimate celebration dish—and the marker of one’s holiday cooking bona fides. It also sparks plenty of family debate about who makes the best one and how it should be made.
I’d love to be able to make the dish the way I remember it growing up and at family gatherings, smoking hot out of the oven with golden brown edges. I have tried replicating my aunts’ mac and cheese recipes, tempering eggs in milk with garlic, onion, black pepper, paprika, and what—I think— was an entire pound of butter.
They could achieve the ideal noodle texture—supple, not too al dente—to stand up to an impressive amount of unmeasured cheeses. Over the years I have stayed up many nights before Thanksgiving trying to perfect my own recipe.
As much as I strive to hit the taste-memory jackpot, I know my mac and cheese isn’t quite theirs. So I’ve embraced different ingredients and techniques. I switched from elbows to shells, before finally landing on corkscrew-esque cavatappi. After curdling my share of eggs, I use a béchamel to do the binding work.
I keep playing around with different cheeses. Two parts extra-sharp cheddar, one part Monterey Jack, one part Parmesan. Or is it half part Colby? Stretchy Fontina? Absolutely. Cream cheese and half-and-half over milk? Let’s see how it tastes. Yes, I like a little chopped parsley for the ’gram. And I’m undecided about a crunchy panko crust.
However you make it, the best part is that it’s yours. Even more than family recipes, making a dish your own is the real Thanksgiving tradition. —Jamila Robinson
38. Because your cousin brought gummies.
39. There are enough people in the house to play games!
It’s rare to have your funny cousins, your competitive in-laws, and your closest friends under one roof—and a game is the way to make the most of it. Some of the most memorable Thanksgiving moments happen during a post-dinner round of fishbowl or Balderdash. If you’re interested in adding something new to your annual rotation, here are a couple that will give everybody something to talk about on the ride home. —Wilder Davies
Hues and Cues: If you think a game where the goal is to guess colors based on cues sounds easy to play, it’s because it is. Mix it up with some house rules, like making people use facial expressions and abstract sounds as cues.
Game of Things: Players write answers to prompts like “things you should never say to a boss” and then guess who wrote what. You quickly learn a lot about each player’s unique sense of humor—and if you’re strategic, how to mimic it.
40. If you’re too full for pie, you can always have it for breakfast tomorrow.
I was raised in a pretty health-conscious household, but the morning after Thanksgiving meant one thing: Breakfast Pie. This was allowed on a series of technicalities. Pumpkin is a vegetable; pecans have protein; apples are good for you. But really, I think my mom just wanted a slice of pie before noon as much as we did. —Amiel Stanek
41. “A sliver” is a subjective unit of measurement.
42. Because of how funny people look when they fall asleep on the couch.
43. Turkey breasts are almost always on sale the week after Thanksgiving.
44. A digestif is never more necessary.
The tryptophan is making you sluggish, your eyes heavy with satisfaction. You can’t fathom another bite—but how about another sip? A pour of something special is just the ticket, inviting conviviality and extending that post-prandial glow just a little bit longer. From classic Italian amari to a new-school coffee liqueur, these are the bottles our staffers reach for to signal the end of big holiday meals. —Joseph Hernandez
45. Playing with dripping candle wax never gets old.
46. You don’t have to wait until tomorrow for a turkey sandwich.
47. When else are you going to go on a family walk?
I grew up in a ‘watch football on the couch’ family, but I married into a ‘long walk in the woods’ family—and I have to say, this is a case where my in-laws are absolutely correct. Because I’m the kind of person who likes to have at least one piece of every single Thanksgiving dessert on offer, a sunset walk between dinner and the main event (pie) has become my favorite holiday tradition. —Carina Finn
48. Dishes always turn into a dance party.
Two words: disco dishes. At my family’s Thanksgiving, the dishes are always a ton of fun—maybe because we’re a few bottles of red deep by that point. As soon as dinner is over, we tell Alexa to blast Donna Summer, and pretty soon my aunts and cousins and I are scrubbing and singing along. It goes quickly when we’re working together. And the sooner we’re done, the sooner we get to dessert—my favorite part. —Ali Inglese
49. Any unfortunately dry breast meat can just go right into the stockpot.
50. The leftovers don’t have to taste anything like Thanksgiving.
51. There’s still so much long weekend left.
52. You are not obligated to do anything with the rest of the long weekend.
53. Because cookie season starts right now.
54. You can finally start putting up the string lights.
55. Even if everything didn’t go as planned, there’s always next year…
Originally Appeared on Bon Appétit
