As the holidays quickly approach, UT students share their favorite Thanksgiving Day traditions spent with family and friends. With deadlines for projects and times set for final exams, most students agree that the holiday could not be more appreciated or better timed. As the semester ends, students look forward to spending time with friends and family and spending a few days at home before finals start.

The Thanksgiving holiday generally conjures up images of turkey, the Macy's Parade, football games, family and early morning shopping. For some UT students, however, some traditions start before the nationally recognized day.

My friends and I started a tradition when we were sophomores where we make an entire Thanksgiving dinner, complete with turkey. senior Rachel Godkin

"My friends and I started a tradition when we were sophomores where we make an entire Thanksgiving dinner, complete with turkey," senior Rachel Godkin said. "It was fun to learn how to cook the turkey and everything, and we have continued the tradition every year since then."

Thanksgiving Fun Fact: The National Turkey Federation estimated that 46 million turkeys—one fifth of the annual total of 235 million consumed in the United States in 2007—were eaten at Thanksgiving.

Along with watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and decorating the Christmas tree, one student said her family enjoys watching the holiday favorite film Christmas Vacation.  Another said her family travels to the Tellico area or Cades Cove and cooks the entire Thanksgiving meal either by a generator or over a camp fire.  One student said he enjoys riding ATVs through the mud on Thanksgiving instead of watching football.

Thanksgiving Fun Fact: According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the largest pumpkin pie ever baked weighed 2,020 pounds and measured just over 12 feet long.

"My uncle always opens us in prayer with the Shaggy version of prayer. 'Open the mouth, between the gums, watch out stomach, here it comes!'," sophomore Beth Edwards said.

Despite the fact that the economy is struggling, senior Courtney Holder said she still thinks most students will try to go home for Thanksgiving "because the holiday is such an important one to be with the family." 

Regardless of which Thanksgiving tradition UT students follow, most realize that the holiday is only a brief respite where turkey and family attempt to distract students from thinking about finals to come.