(WBEN) - Many residents across the Western New York region continue their final preparations for their Thanksgiving Day plans this coming Thursday.
With just a few days before hosting family and friends for Thanksgiving dinner, some like Janice from Buffalo is ready and rearing to go.
"I'm always ready. I still do the turkey in the bag three hours and all the trimmings," said Janice while donating a frozen turkey at this past Thursday's "Turkey for Tickets" in West Seneca. "I have five grandchildren and six great-grandchildren, so I'm blessed."
However, there are plenty of others with days remaining until Thursday that still need to get a number of things in order.
"Oh my gosh, I still have to shop," said Marilynn from West Seneca at "Turkeys for Tickets". "I was eyeing this turkey, but I'm like, 'There's so many more in there, and I'm gonna get an even bigger one that's 25 pounds.' This one's 23 pounds, but I'll get the 25 pounds, and I still have to shop for a whole bunch of stuff."
"We still have to do some preparation for our own family. The pies, the stuffing, the turkey, I mean everything, basically," added Evan from West Seneca.
Meanwhile, there are those who luck out this Thanksgiving holiday, as they may be just needing to ready some side dishes before heading over to a family member's house.
"Pretty simple and easy for me. I let my mom and dad do the cooking and the hosting, and I'll be bringing the chocolate peanut butter pie and wine," said Steph from Williamsville.
"We have it easy, we don't have much prep to do. We have to pick up a couple things and grab a bottle of wine. We're not the hosters on this one, so we're good," echoed Robyn from West Seneca.
And, of course, there are those that will be traveling this Thanksgiving this year to visit family members across the state, or across the country.
"We're gonna be going to Long Island, so we're pretty much there. Visiting family, we're making some sides and what have you," said Dale from Buffalo.
According to the New York Farm Bureau's 2023 Market Basket Survey, the price of a traditional Thanksgiving dinner saw a small increase compared to last year's meal. The average total price, which includes a 16-pound turkey and other common items found on a holiday dinner table, is $70.70, or about a 6% increase over last year's price.
As we move closer to Thanksgiving, turkey prices may drop in the stores, reflecting sales in the final days before the holiday.
The New York numbers reveal price increases over last year in some additional categories, including pumpkin pie mix and frozen green peas, but it also shows some price decreases in other items like whipping cream and fresh cranberries.
For those heading out to the stores to do their shopping, it has been noticeable when it comes to the pricing of some Thanksgiving essentials this holiday season.
"They are quite a bit more [priced]. Butter, milk, eggs, turkey," Janice said.
"Groceries are definitely much higher priced," Steph agreed. "It just depends on where you shop. You've gotta be an educated consumer and shop the places that are gonna give you the best deal."
However, if there is some good news, the price increases are far less than experienced last year when prices had jumped 26% from 2021. That's been something that some shoppers have noticed in the stores.
"It's been higher in the years past, but pretty much the same as last year is what I've noticed," Evan said.
Thanksgiving is often seen as the kickoff to the holiday season across the country, especially in Western New York with the snow soon starting to fall on a more consistent basis.
When it comes to holiday festivities in a given year, where may Thanksgiving rank compared to Christmas or others on the calendar? For many, the No. 1 holiday still remains Christmas, but Thanksgiving comes in a close second.
"I love them both. I do love Christmas a little more than Thanksgiving, but Thanksgiving is a great kickoff start, and I don't have to host," Steph said. "I host Christmas, so it's a little more stressful, but I love it."
"Christmas is my No. 1, I'm a big Christmas guy," said former Sabres winger Patrick Kaleta during last Thursday's "Turkeys for Tickets" food drive. "I don't like Halloween, so Thanksgiving is the next step towards Christmas. Thanksgiving is probably the midpoint for me. Thanksgiving and Easter in the middle, Halloween is terrible, and Christmas is great."
Some like Marilynn feel Thanksgiving tops the charts when it comes to holiday food, while others like Robyn see this holiday as a nice relaxing with with those closest to you.
"We really like Thanksgiving, because it's a no pressure holiday. No gifts, not a lot of work. It's just a nice time to see family and friends," Robyn said.
Also, maybe, a nice additional factor with this year's Thanksgiving holiday is there being no Buffalo Bills game played on the holiday unlike the last two seasons.
