Jimmy Fallon Shares Strange Thanksgiving Traditions Submitted on Twitter
Who among us hasn’t at one time or another claimed that we have the absolute weirdest, most embarrassing family in America? Especially around the holidays, when all the uncles and cousins and aunts from out of town gather in one claustrophobic space, all those eccentricities we complain about but secretly love are on full display. In the age of social media, it’s easy to expose all their unconventional — if you want to put it generously — habits.
Probably aware that there are plenty of people out there eager to prove just how goofy their families are, Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon decided to mine Twitter for the best stories about weird Thanksgiving habits, and the results did not disappoint.
Using the hashtag #TurkeyDayTraditions, Twitter users revealed all the offbeat (and hilarious) ways their families celebrate Thanksgiving. Take the family who engages in a game of “ham slap” every year. You’ll have to watch the video to find out exactly what that means, but just know that Fallon makes a song out of it. Another family has a very special way of making sure the raw turkey is tenderized before popping it in the oven — and it involves dancing. Trust me, if you think your family is the weirdest in the world, you have some stiff competition.
If you’ve been dreading Thanksgiving over worries that your family is going to yet again insist on giving leftover turkey to the squirrels or wishing all your ex-boyfriends a happy holiday season, take it from these people: Holiday traditions that might raise a few eyebrows should actually be celebrated, posted to Twitter, and filmed for Instagram. Help the rest of us survive the holidays by sharing the traditions that make you cringe. You never know, maybe there’s someone out there who will feel better knowing that even if her mom starts setting up the Christmas tree the moment the turkey is cleared from the dinner table, someone else’s mom is out there doing some way weirder. Like dancing with a raw turkey.