But the Thanksgiving meal is at the heart of the holiday. At the center is almost always a glistening, giant, roast turkey. Joining the turkey are a lineup of delicious sides: creamy mashed potatoes, herby stuffing, tangy cranberry sauce, gravy, and sweet potato casseroles topped with marshmallows. It’s like Christmas without the pressure of gifts.
The roast turkey was still the centerpiece of the dinner table, and families still tuned in to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, only on color console televisions in their living rooms. Broadcasted professional football games kept family members gathered around the living room, and breaking the wishbone was the highlight of the night. Even Black Friday, started in the 1950s, was still a popular Thanksgiving tradition. But there were also plenty of things that were different when it came to Thanksgiving traditions. Let’s start with the food. While dishes still featured cranberry sauce, stuffing, and casserole, it was also filled with gelatin molds. The popular cooking ingredient could be found in dishes like shrimp aspic mold, chicken mousse, cranberry souffle salad, and more. There was always plenty of gelatin to go around. Aside from food, it was also a tradition to send festive postal cards adorned with turkeys and pumpkins just like the Christmas card tradition. Before dinner, it was tradition for family members and guests to go outside and start up a football game to get everyone hungry enough to pack away a lot of food. Families
would also sit around and relate the story of the first Thanksgiving before digging in.
As for the Thanksgiving meal itself, in 1976, it was tradition for people to show up in their best dress—suits, ties, Sunday best—and kids had to be on their best behavior (no elbows on the table, no smacking your teeth, and absolutely no back talk). As a formal occasion, hosts also painstakingly wrote out formal place cards for each guest to know their assigned spot at the dinner table. So whether your Thanksgiving looks more like 1976—Sunday best, handwritten place cards, and a family football game—or 2026, with Turkey Trots, stretchy pants, and a little scrolling between servings, the heart of the holiday hasn’t changed all that much. Traditions may come and go (and maybe we’re okay leaving the gelatin molds in the past), but Thanksgiving has always been about gathering around the table, sharing good food, and taking a moment to appreciate the people beside us. Fifty years from now, the traditions might look different again—but hopefully, there will still be turkey, pie, and plenty to be thankful for.
Other traditions include: • Presidential Turkey Pardon • Break the wishbone for good luck
• Pumpkin pie • Black Friday • Traveling to family
Swap the smartphones for a console TV and the running shoes for your Sunday best, and Thanksgiving 50 years ago might look surprisingly familiar.
Traditions Past
In 1976, Thanksgiving looked about the same, with a few differences. Large feasts were still a staple of the holiday, but with multiple generations pitching in to cook massive, home-cooked meals, making the kitchen the central hub of activity.
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