Students at BYU–Hawaii shared stories and traditions about coming together during the holiday season. Some students play games with family and make dinner while others set up Christmas decorations to celebrate Thanksgiving Day.
Miracle Pie
According to Kayla McGuinness, a junior majoring in marine biology from Texas, Thanksgiving is all about good food but especially delicious pie. McGuinness clarified not any chocolate pie will do. She said her grandmother’s chocolate pie is the best because “she has the best secret recipe.”
She said the pie is so important tragedy struck her family when they forgot the recipe. “After my grandmother died, my mom couldn’t find the recipe anywhere and couldn't remember it.”
She said family members were sad no one knew how to make it anymore. McGuinness said, “[Thanksgiving] wasn’t the same without the best pie in the world.”
McGuinness said her mom had a dream one night where she was being taught by her grandmother how to make the chocolate pie. When her mother awoke the next day, she was able to make the pie exactly like her grandmother.
Now, McGuinness said, her family makes it every year. “Everyone has a copy of the recipe, so it’ll never get lost again.”
Away for Thanksgiving
On Thanksgiving Day, Ana Toronto, a sophomore from Utah majoring in social work, said, “My family keeps it low key and would just spend time together.”
She explained her most memorable Thanksgiving was when it snowed one year and the whole family played football outside, even though it was freezing.
Even though she does not get to go home during the holidays because she’s at school, Toronto said, “I miss spending that time with my family, but every year they FaceTime me, and I get to talk to them. It cures the homesick feeling I get around the holidays.”
Turkey Bowl
Instead of playing football on Thanksgiving, Micah Taotafa, a sophomore from California majoring in biology, said, “We watch the Turkey Bowl and bet on who’s going to win. Sometimes we go on a walk or hike as a family.”
Taotafa said the holiday is exciting because you get to spend time and catch up with friends and family. He said his most memorable Thanksgiving “was the first Thanksgiving in our new house. My father deep fried the entire turkey, and it ended up being really dry.
“Even though we give [my dad] a hard time about it, we all know that it’s most important to spend time together, even if the food is bad.”
Decorating for Christmas on Thanksgiving Day
Even though Christmas is a month after Thanksgiving, Spencer Mordy, a junior majoring in biology from California, said his family can't wait for the Christmas season. Mordy said, “We always set up Christmas decorations in the morning, have Thanksgiving dinner and then get right back to setting up decorations.”
Mordy shared how for 30 years his family entered into his city’s light competition. According to him, they have been undefeated for as long as he can remember. He said, “I love pulling out all the wooden Disney figurines and the thousands of lights, but I especially love doing it with my family and spending time with them.”
During this time of year up until Christmas, Mordy explained, “We don’t mess around. It takes two days to set up what we have, and sometimes my mom will get more.” Despite competing in a competition, Mordy said that it’s more about spending time with the family than winning the competition.