Local Thanksgiving traditions shared

What traditions do you observe when celebrating Thanksgiving?
For most Americans, the holiday focuses on the four Fs — family, friends, food and fun. But people have different ways of enjoying the day.

KRDO NewsChannel 13 spoke Thursday with three Colorado Springs families who shared their holiday traditions — how they started and how they continue.

Tabitha George and her newborn son, Evan — and also their big dog, Yeager — are without their Fort Carson soldier who’s deployed overseas.

So Grorge’s parents are visiting from Texas to help celebrate the holiday.

“My mother is Korean, so that makes our Thanksgiving a little unique,” George said. “We’ll always have a bowl of kimchi. Traditionally, it’s a spiced cabbage, but we’re serving a spiced cucumber. Growing up, my father always cooked the holiday dinner. I’d come downstairs to him peeling potatoes. My mom used to own a bakery and she’d come home with pumpkin rolls and dinner rolls.”

The Harding family celebrated Thanksgiving with festive music playing through an outdoor speaker and 18 guests for dinner, coming from states like Maryland, New Mexico and Tennessee.

“We’re mixing it up this year,” said Quincy Harding. “No turkey or dressing. An all-seafood menu. Gumbo, fish, crab, everything you can think of. Next year, instead of staying home, we’ll start traveling to spend the holiday with relatives in other states.”

The Hardings also planned to watch movies and play games on Thanksgiving.

Meanwhile, eight members of the Obert family — and a friend — gathered around the dinner table, beside a rotating and decorated Christmas tree.

“Our thing to do is to put up house decorations after we eat,” said Erik Obert. “Sometimes, we have more people at Thanksgiving, but normally, it’s this size.”

KRDO NewsChannel 13 wishes everyone a happy and safe holiday season.