25 Ways to Improve Thanksgiving—According to Children
Kids have a lot to be thankful for on Thanksgiving. While grown-ups slave away in the kitchen, children get to play around—and then stuff themselves until their tummies hurt. The only thing they’re responsible for is indulging far-flung family members' awkward questions ("So, uh, how's school?" Seriously, Uncle Pete? That's the best you've got?). But even though kids seem to get the long end of the drumstick on Thanksgiving, they still have lots of ideas about how the holiday could be improved. From unlimited desserts to offbeat centerpieces to dressing the turkey (literally), 25 kids from across the country share their tips for how to make Thanksgiving better.
1/25Sophia, 5, Bronx, N.Y.
Let our dogs, Bailey and Benji, sit at the table with us because we never let them!
2/25Sisters Edie, 7, and Lucy, 8, New York City
Edie: Make edible clothes and dress the turkey up. Lucy: We should use melting chocolate and fondant (like in Cake Boss) to make clothes and tail feathers for the turkey. Edie: Awesome!
3/25Delano, 7, Sebastopol, California
Put a squid in a fish tank in the middle of the table.
4/25Karsten, 2, Columbus, Ohio
More mac and cheese—because I said so!
5/25Ruby, 4, Cary, N.C.
Add a crystal and some dinosaurs to the table.
6/25Kayla, 7, Scotch Plains, N.J.
Eat nothing but sweet potatoes and little cups of soup and then do dances, like the robot. Then I would be thankful.
7/25Mac, 7, Putnam Valley, N.Y.
Blow up the turkey with dynamite. Boom, boom, boom!
8/25Mallory, 6, Exton, Pennsylvania
Make wraps, so no having to put cranberry and all that stuff out on a plate.
9/25David, 8, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Serve ice cream and lots of chocolate. No pie. I hate pie.
10/25Emmanuel, 8, New York City
Have a Thanksgiving Week instead of just Thanksgiving Day!
11/25Riley, 6, North Arlington, N.J.
Go somewhere… like a restaurant. We could go to a brunch! Because there are more different kinds of food and you can get more dessert.
12/25Reece, 3, North Arlington, N.J.
We need a monkey. A monkey that thanks things. That would make it better.
13/25Connor, 6, New City, N.Y.
Serve a marshmallow-crusted turkey.
14/25Roman, 4, Berkeley Heights, N.J.
Go to fun places, like a jumpy-jumpy place [better known as a bouncy house].
15/25Ethan, 9, Chicago
Invite friends and family over and donate to the poor! Be thankful for what you have and do what you can to help others. Also, add pizza.
16/25Shawn, 11, New York City
Start a "Who Can Eat the Most Stuffing?" contest!
17/25Eion, 8, Roanoke, Virginia
Stop serving things I hate, like turkey. Can't we just have hamburgers for once?
18/25Ezra, 10, Seattle, W.A.
We should give presents!
19/25Mallory, 5, Murfreesboro, Tennessee
All of the girls have to dress up like Indians and the boys have to dress up as Pilgrims.
20/25Maggie, 3, Weston, Connecticut
I would get some Easter eggs!
21/25Katie, 6, New York City
I wish Thanksgiving had no meat. Then it would be like A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.
22/25Adeline, 4, Queens, N.Y.
I don't actually like to eat turkeys and pumpkins, so I'd rather go to the swimming pool instead.
23/25Kate, 6, Austin, Texas
Eat some seafood with our turkey. Like scallops.
24/25Joey, 7, Austin, Texas
There should be at least six kinds of pie and there shouldn’t be any rules on how many pieces kids can eat—even if they don't eat any of their turkey.
25/25Nola, 5, Hoboken, N.J.
Trim the turkey!
