‘This Is Us’: Everything You Need to Prepare a Pearson Family Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving isn’t the same without our favorite TV family — the Pearsons from NBC‘s This Is Us. Sadly, the show ended in May 2022, so fans won’t get their yearly dose of drama this holiday season. But that doesn’t mean the characters’ legacy can’t live on in our homes. Read on for a guide on how to throw the perfect Pearson Thanksgiving, but hopefully without the fighting and crying.

What food did the Pearsons make for Thanksgiving in ‘This Is Us’?

The first place to start in preparing a This Is Us-themed Thanksgiving is the food, of course. While Jack, Rebecca, Kevin, Kate, and Randall have included some holiday staples in their dinners, like turkey and cranberry sauce, a few specialty foods define their Thanksgiving tradition.

The first recipe originated from season 1 when the Pearsons were stuck in a motel without a turkey. The Big Three were only kids, and Jack wanted it to be memorable for them, so he conceived cheesy cracker hot dogs. He bought hot dogs from the corner gas station, skewered them, cooked them by the furnace, wrapped them in a cheese slice, and rolled them in crushed crackers. Bon Appétit.

The second recipe comes from Uncle Nicky. Most of the family’s Thanksgiving traditions came from the holiday spent in the motel. But when Nicky stumbled into the picture, so did one of his and Jack’s holiday traditions, and it’s another strange dish — shrimp.

The last Thanksgiving Jack and Nicky spent together was eating five pounds of shrimp in a restaurant while avoiding their father. And now, shrimp is customary at every Thanksgiving dinner.

And finally, the holiday wouldn’t be complete without Rebecca’s sugar pie. Sadly, we’ll never know the secret ingredient (was it love?), but hopefully, the Pearson matriarch’s legacy lives on, and mothers and daughters will make a sugar pie this Thanksgiving.

The Pearsons always planned a few activities for the holiday

A This Is Us Thanksgiving is not all about the food. The Pearsons also included a few activities to celebrate the special day. And they all date back to the holiday at the motel.

First, you’ll have to go on a 3.4-mile hike to commemorate the walk Jack, Rebecca, and the kids did from their broken-down car to the gas station. Of course, it’s best to do this before eating the plentiful meal of hot dogs, shrimp, and slices of pie.

Next, it’s not Thanksgiving for the Pearson family without Police Academy 3. Jack found the VHS tape in the lobby of the motel, and now the family watches it every year. Sadly, Police Academy 3 is not free to watch on any streaming service. But fans can rent or buy it on YouTube or Amazon Prime.

And before digging into the Thanksgiving meal, it’s a tradition in This Is Us to pass a ball of yarn around and say what everyone is thankful for. This is a callback to when Kate’s turkey sweater started unraveling in the cabin. They proceeded to pass it around and gave thanks.

The Pilgrim Rick hat is a must for a ‘This Is Us’ Thanksgiving

Lastly, for your This Is Us-themed Thanksgiving, someone needs to wear the Pilgrim Rick hat. As fans recall, Jack stole the hat from the front desk receptionist at the motel, who insisted on being called “Pilgrim Rick.”

He returned to the family’s room wearing the hat with hot dogs and Police Academy 3 in tow. And afterward, it became customary for someone in the family to don the hat at Thanksgiving. It was an honor of sorts — Kevin letting Miguel wear the Pilgrim Rick hat in season 1 was a big deal.

So, if you want to celebrate Thanksgiving like the This Is Us characters, you must include cheesy cracker hot dogs, shrimp, sugar pie, a 3.4-mile hike, Police Academy 3, yarn, and Pilgrim Rick. Simple enough, right? And if you’re committed to continuing the Pearson family tradition, you can also reveal devastating, game-changing news during dinner.

This Is Us is available to stream on Hulu.

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