10 Thanksgiving Stories Sure Tto Blow Your Mind & Warm Your Heart

In the United States, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November.

The holiday is known for being centered around traditional food—turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, and pumpkin pie—and annual festivities such as the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade and football games. However, it is also a day when we gather with family and friends to not only share a meal and spend time together but reflect on all that we are thankful for.

Although the typical Thanksgiving news headlines feature expert advice on cooking and the best recipes, community notices where free meals are served, and when we can watch televised parades, games, and competitions, these Thanksgiving-related news stories are anything but your traditional Thanksgiving tales. Therefore, even though people in the United States have recently wrapped up their Thanksgiving celebrations, these news stories are just too unbelievable not to share.

Here are ten stories of Thanksgiving past that are sure to both blow your mind and touch your heart.

Related: Top 10 Craziest Holiday Tragedies

10 Accidental Thanksgiving Text Leads to Cherished Tradition

In 2016, Wanda Dench of Mesa, Arizona, sent out a text that read, “Thanksgiving dinner is at my house on Nov. 24 at 3:00.” Dench’s text was meant for her grandson, who had unfortunately changed his phone number. So, instead, it was received by 17-year-old Jamal Hinton while sitting in class at Desert Vista High School.

Naturally confused after receiving a message from an unknown number, Hinton asked who the texter was. The mystery messenger then replied, “Your grandma.” At that point, Hinton thought that perhaps his grandmother had gotten a new phone number, so he texted back and asked for a photo. However, after Hinton, who is Black, received a picture of Dench, a white woman who was definitely not his grandma, he too sent a selfie and jokingly texted back, “You not my grandma. Can I still get a plate though?” To Hinton’s delight, Dench responded, “Of course you can. That’s what grandmas do… feed everyone.”

Hinton took a screenshot of the text exchange and shared it on social media where it quickly went viral. Hinton also took Dench up on her offer and drove from Tempe, Arizona, to Mesa to celebrate Thanksgiving with Dench and her family. However, this accidental meeting turned two strangers into family and forged a friendship that has stood the test of time.

Dench and Hinton have since spent every Thanksgiving together, and their friendship has become as much a staple of the holiday as cranberry sauce and football. The two have also spent time together aside from the holiday gathering, sharing both the good and bad in each other’s lives. For example, Hinton stepped up as a form of support after Dench’s husband, Lonnie, died on April 5, 2020, due to complications from COVID-19, while Dench has welcomed Hinton’s girlfriend, Mikaela, into the family fold. Hinton even went with Dench to get her very first tattoo.

Hinton decided to host Thanksgiving in 2024, and Dench planned on making the two-hour drive from her new home in Prescott Valley to Hinton’s aunt’s house in Phoenix. Unfortunately, 67-year-old Dench revealed in October 2024 that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer earlier in the year. Having recently finished her chemotherapy, both Dench and Hinton decided it would be best for her health for Dench to stay home. However, the two plan to FaceTime with each other during the holiday and are looking forward to next year being “so much better.”^[1]

9 Thanksgiving Pizza

Growing up in Toms River, New Jersey, where the pizza culture was rich, Travis Kaiser couldn’t remember a time when he didn’t spend his summer vacation working in a pizzeria growing up. While Kaiser left the Garden State for college, after graduating from the University of Tampa, Florida, in 2007, he returned to New Jersey to pursue a career in law enforcement. However, approximately two years later, Kaiser moved back to Tampa, Florida, with hopes of an even bigger dream—becoming a restauranteur and immersing himself in the blooming hospitality industry that Tampa had to offer. By 2021, Kaiser’s dream had become a reality.

In January 2021, Kaiser held a soft opening for his Jersey-style pizzeria, which he named Santoro’s after his firstborn son. An official grand opening was held on March 7, 2021, and the pizzeria did so well that in just the first weekend, they sold 243 pizza orders and ran out of dough! Aside from the pizzas, subs, pasta, and desserts featured on Santoro’s menu, the pizzeria went viral on Instagram in 2024 for an unusual addition to their menu—a Thanksgiving pizza. Yes, you read that right, a Thanksgiving pizza.

Rather than keeping these traditional Thanksgiving dishes separate, Santoro’s has fused roasted turkey, garlic mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, and cranberry sauce together into a bizarre Thanksgiving pizza that sits upon a “no-flop” crust. The pizza was made available through November 27, 2024, and was available to purchase made in the restaurant or as a take-home pizza that could be later heated at home.^[2]

8 Casual Water Park Conversation Helps Crack Thanksgiving Cold Case

As a basketball player, cheerleader, top student, and aspiring airline pilot, Mandy Stavik wanted to be the best at everything she did and was described as “larger than life.” Unfortunately, Stavik’s promising future came to an abrupt end much too soon.

Stavik, 18, who was a freshman at Central Washington University, decided to come home to Acme, Washington, for Thanksgiving break in 1989. On November 24, 1989, the Friday after Thanksgiving, Stavik left home late in the afternoon for a jog, taking the family’s German shepherd, Kyra, with her. The dog returned home several hours later, but Stavik never came back. After three days of searching, Stavik’s body was found on November 28, 1989, in the Nooksack River. Stavik had been sexually assaulted, and an autopsy revealed her cause of death to be asphyxia by drowning.

As authorities began their criminal investigation into Stavik’s murder, they scoured the area for any possible suspects, following every lead they could and even conferred with a task force that was in the midst of working the unsolved Green River serial killer case in Seattle, Washington. Unfortunately, investigators came up empty-handed, and the case went cold. Stavik’s murder hung like a dark cloud over the community of Acme for the next two decades. That is, until 2013 when a chance meeting between two mothers at a water park would change everything.

In June 2013, Heather Backstrom and Merilee Anderson decided to give their young children a treat and a day of fun by taking them to Birch Bay Waterslides in Blaine, Washington. Although the two women didn’t know each other, they found themselves among a group of moms chatting about their families, their lives, and their hometown of Acme when Stavik’s unsolved murder case was randomly brought up in conversation.

Backstrom suddenly blurted out, “I know who killed her.” Anderson then replied, “I do, too.” As it turns out, Backstrom and Anderson had both experienced creepy-run ins with a man named Tim Bass, who had not only gone to Mount Baker High with them and Stavik but also lived less than two miles (3.2 km) from Stavik’s house, along her running route. However, given that the two women had no concrete evidence of Bass’s involvement and only their suspicions, neither of them ever voiced their concerns. Backstrom and Anderson now realized they needed to speak up, so Anderson contacted another Mount Baker High classmate, Detective Ken Gates, with the Whatcom Sheriff’s Office.

What happened from there is a twisty tale of a clever and relentless investigation by local authorities, a dedicated prosecutor who came out of retirement to take on the case he had started so many years ago, and the help of a local woman who provided police with a crucial piece of evidence that cracked open a seemingly unsolvable case.

Bass, who was married with three children, had since moved to Everson, Washington, and was a local delivery driver for the Franz Bakery Outlet. However, when police approached him in 2013, he refused to provide a DNA sample. Without enough evidence for a search warrant, they could not compel Bass for a DNA sample, and unfortunately, his employer was also not willing to get involved in the investigation, refusing to let them swab for DNA or provide any information about his routes.

Detectives returned to the bakery in 2017, still without a subpoena or search warrant, but this time, manager Kim Wagner decided to act on her own and provided them with information on Bass’s route. She also offered to help obtain a DNA sample from Bass, but the detectives had to decline her offer as they were unable to ask a civilian to collect evidence. Wagner, however, took matters into her own hands. On August 10, 2017, Wagner secretly retrieved a plastic cup and Coke can that Bass had thrown away, put them in a Franz Bakery bag, and handed them over to police. Bass’s DNA from the cup and soda can was a 1 in 11 quadrillion match to the DNA recovered from Stavik’s body.

On December 12, 2017, 50-year-old Bass was arrested in the bakery parking lot for investigation of first-degree murder, kidnapping, and rape. That day also happened to be Stavik’s mother Mary’s 81st birthday, and the sheriff was able to give her the best birthday present ever—news that her daughter’s killer had finally been found, 28 years later. On May 24, 2019, Bass was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to 320 months in prison. ^[3]

7 Customers Left with Empty Plates after Catering Company Fails to Deliver

Dana Milburn’s recovery from a recent back surgery made it nearly impossible for her to hunch over the stove for hours at a time. Although she had initially planned to cook Thanksgiving dinner in 2023, after hearing about Maddhouse Catering from a relative, Milburn decided that catering would be her best option. Milburn reached out to the Deer Park, Texas, business through Facebook messenger, and on October 31, 2023, she paid $220 through Venmo for her order—a smoked ham, a smoked turkey, a fried turkey, four sides, and a dessert, all of which would feed 20 people.

Unfortunately, at 6:21 a.m. on Thanksgiving day, Lance Madden, who runs the garage-based catering operation, posted on Facebook, stating, “They ran out of food, and the oven caught fire, that they did their math wrong and were trying to figure some things out.” Milburn then went to the address listed on the Maddhouse Catering Facebook page, only to find approximately 30 other people who were also waiting to get food in the driveway and lining the street. The crowd of angry customers eventually grew so large that it was disrupting traffic. Although customers stood outside the home demanding answers, there was no answer at the home or at the phone number listed for the catering company.

While the Deer Park Police Department confirmed that an investigation involving Maddhouse Catering was underway, dozens of families were left with empty promises, forcing them to make a last-minute trip to the grocery store, cancel their Thanksgiving plans altogether, or settle for a fast food meal from Whataburger.

To make matters worse, Texas state business records did not have any information for Maddhouse Catering or Madden. Although his name was previously connected to a business called Maddhouse Cookers in 2012, the license expired in 2022 and was never renewed.^[4]

6 NICU Nurse’s Labor of Love for Tiny Patients

Babies who are born premature, have significant difficulties with feeding, have congenital medical conditions, or become ill after birth may need to go into the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). There, babies receive around-the-clock care from a team of experts using advanced technology and life-support equipment. The length of a baby’s stay depends on their health condition, which can range from a few hours or days to weeks or months.

Kathryn Callahan, a NICU nurse at Texas Health Southwest in Fort Worth, Texas, knows just how hard it can be for parents to be separated from their babies, so she goes above and beyond to make sure her tiny patients in the neonatal intensive care unit feel special during the holidays. However, even after working 12-hour shifts at the hospital, Callahan’s hands don’t stop working.

In her free time, Callahan crochets hats and costumes for every baby in the NICU for every holiday—Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, 4th of July, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. In fact, over the last decade, Callahan has crocheted nearly 1,500 hats!

The festive atmosphere that Callahan creates has been so meaningful to the families, and despite the tough times they go through with their babies, her labor of love has helped create a little bit of joy.^[5]

5 Some of the “Most Expensive” Thanksgiving Menu Items

The Old Homestead Steakhouse, which was originally called the Tidewater Trading Post, first opened its doors in 1868 in the Meatpacking District of New York City. Harry Sherry, who started there as a dishwasher, later bought it from its former owner in the 1940s. Sherry’s grandsons, Greg and Marc Sherry, also later started as dishwashers, working their way through the ranks as busboys, food prep assistants, servers, and chefs, learning the ropes from their grandfather before becoming the current owners.

Being in business now for over 150 years, it is the oldest steakhouse in America. However, aside from its longevity, the family-owned restaurant was the first to serve Wagyu Beef in the United States and has had many famous patrons—Liza Minelli, JFK, Mickey Mantle, Herbert Hoover, Beyoncé, Billy Joel, Stevie Wonder, and Mike Tyson. The steakhouse has also made news headlines several times for its outrageously expensive Thanksgiving menu items.

In 2019, the Old Homestead Steakhouse offered a Thanksgiving dinner for 12 that had a whopping price tag of $181,000! The meal included two 20-pound (9-kg) free-range turkeys that were covered in $2,000 edible gold flakes and seasoned with $4,000 worth of imported spices from the Middle East, turkey gravy that was infused with a $3,650 bottle of Louis XIII cognac, and $1,800-per-ounce golden caviar from the Caspian Sea, just to name a few of the pricey items. More traditional desserts such as pumpkin, apple, coconut custard, and pecan pies were also included with the meal, but the most expensive part of the package wasn’t even edible.

The dinner package also included a seven-day, $50,000 Seam Dream Yacht Club cruise for two, an $8,000 bottle of Cristal champagne, a $20,000 Black Friday shopping spree, matching his and hers iPhone 11 Pro Maxes, four tickets to Super Bowl LIV in Miami, Florida, and more.

In 2024, the famed New York City restaurant once again featured an extravagant Thanksgiving dish—a “dollop” of cranberry sauce for $195! So, what exactly makes this cranberry sauce so pricey? The ingredients include white truffle shavings that cost $1,500 per pound, edible 24k gold flakes, and Manuka Honey from New Zealand that cost $100 a pound, along with Taylor Fladgate Scion Vintage Port that costs $4,000 a bottle.

But fear not, the steakhouse’s Thanksgiving menu does offer more budget-friendly options, such as an $85 roasted turkey dinner and classic sides that aren’t made with gold or white truffles.^[6]

4 Argument over Thanksgiving Dinner Leads to Tragedy

Richard Lombardi,65, and Frank Griswold, 80, met in the 1990s when they worked together in the finance industry at Charles River Management. Despite being friends for approximately 30 years and roommates for more than 20, it would ultimately be an argument over Thanksgiving dinner that would end their friendship and one of their lives.

According to Lombardi, Griswold “often sneezes,” and given that the turkey for Thanksgiving was near the sink, Lombardi did not want Griswold to “sneeze or contaminate the food.” So, on November 27, 2024, Lombardi warned Griswold not to go near the food, even going so far as to draw a physical barrier using salt and pepper.

When Lombardi later returned to the kitchen, he found Griswold there washing dishes near the turkey. Lombardi then grabbed Griswold by the collar and shoved him to the side, causing Griswold’s feet to be tangled underneath him and ultimately sending him to the ground.

Lombardi called 911, but when first responders arrived at the Marshfield, Massachusetts, home, they found Griswold bleeding from the head and lying on the floor unresponsive. Griswold was later pronounced dead at South Shore Hospital as a result of blunt-force trauma to the head and neck.

Lombardi was charged with assault and battery on a person over 60, causing serious injury, and involuntary manslaughter. He is currently being held without bail.^[7]

3 Bread Dough Is a No-No

Pippa, a playful two-year-old golden retriever pup from Knoxville, Tennessee, has a history of retrieving things from her family’s countertops and trash. Unfortunately, on November 25, 2021, Pippa’s nose directed her to a tray of unbaked bread rolls that her owner, Rebecca Collins, had left on the counter to rise. It wasn’t until after Collins went to put the dinner rolls in the oven that she realized half of them were gone. Being swept up in the hustle and bustle of entertaining, Collins didn’t think much of it. However, after the family had said goodbye to their Thanksgiving dinner guests, Collins noticed the normally high-energy dog was lethargic and napping.

A frantic internet search led Collins to call the Pet Poison Hotline. After learning about Pippa’s weight, symptoms, and the amount of bread she had ingested, a veterinary professional from the hotline recommended that Collins take Pippa to an emergency animal hospital immediately.

Unbaked bread dough that contains yeast can be dangerous when ingested by dogs or cats due to the potential for yeast poisoning, fatal stomach torsion, and alcohol poisoning. Once a pet has ingested the unbaked bread dough, it expands in the warm, moist environment of the stomach and releases carbon dioxide gas, which can result in a distended abdomen and, in some cases, bloating. From there, ethanol from the fermenting yeast is rapidly absorbed in the bloodstream and results in alcohol poisoning.

When Pippa arrived at the Animal Emergency and Specialty Center of Knoxville, her heart rate was elevated, her abdomen was distended, and a whopping 90% of her abdominal lumen was filled with the yeasty, doughy substance. Veterinarians placed the golden retriever on IV fluids and gave her cold water and ice chips to counteract the rising process. Pippa was kept overnight, and thankfully, she was able to pass the dough on her own without the need for surgery.^[8]

2 A Mother’s Final Act of Love

Lt. Ashley Berry, 33, was a “beloved” Richmond, Virginia, firefighter known for her generous spirit. In fact, Berry spent Thanksgiving in 2019 creating food baskets for others before later going to celebrate the holiday with her boyfriend’s family in Hopewell, Virginia. However, as Berry left with her five-year-old son on November 28, 2019, gunfire erupted. In a final act of love, the off-duty firefighter and mother of three used her body to shield her son from the bullets but was unfortunately struck by a gunman firing at a neighboring apartment, who then fled the scene.

Hopewell Police arrived at the scene just before 11:40 p.m., where they found Berry suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Berry was taken to a local hospital and then transferred to VCU Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead around 3 a.m. on November 29, 2019. Investigators stated that they did not believe that Berry or her boyfriend’s family were the intended targets of the drive-by shooting.

In recognition of Berry’s service to the Richmond community and her heroic action in protecting her son, the Richmond City Council unanimously approved an ordinance to designate the 2700 block of Berry Road as Lt. Ashley Nicole Berry Way.

Unfortunately, it took the Hopewell Police nearly four years to build a solid case against the man they believed to be Berry’s killer. Finally, in August 2023, 30-year-old Darrell Donnell Taylor Jr., who was already in custody on unrelated charges, was indicted by a grand jury on charges of murder, use of a firearm while in the commission of a felony, conspiracy to commit murder, and shooting into an occupied building.^[9]

1 Green Bean Casserole Seltzer

In 1955, Dorcas Reilly was working as a supervisor at the home economics department of a Campbell’s test kitchen in Camden, New Jersey, when she was tasked with creating a recipe for a feature set to appear in the Associated Press. There was, however, one catch—the recipe had to be based on ingredients that any home cook would have on hand, including Campbell’s mushroom soup and green beans. Reilly got to tinkering and eventually created the green bean bake, which we now know as green bean casserole. This culinary classic consists of just six ingredients: a can of Campbell’s cream of mushroom soup, milk, soy sauce, black pepper, green beans, and crunchy fried onions.

While green bean casserole is a popular dish that Americans traditionally serve at Thanksgiving or Christmas, it has also inspired a bizarre beverage concoction—Green Bean Casserole sparkling water.

Paul Voge, the CEO and co-founder of the Aura Bora company, stated that the flavor actually began as a joke between employees, as he and his team began compiling a list of gross sparkling water flavors, one of which was sage. However, after tasting the drink, which is “bursting with sweet, earthy, and buttery flavor, features real sage extract, and is like taking a bite out of a perfectly crunchy, succulent green bean,” the green bean casserole flavored seltzer water was first released in 2022.

The drink has since been re-released in 2023 and 2024 and is available exclusively on Aura Bora’s website for $33/case, which includes 12 cans. You can also purchase other unique flavors, such as sparkling pumpkin spice, an apple cinnamon flavor in collaboration with Magnolia Bakey, and an olive oil martini.^[10]