Why Do We Celebrate Thanksgiving? | B2 English Listening

November 14, 2025•13 min read

What Is Thanksgiving All About?

Welcome back to the Peach Teach English Podcast! In this episode, we’re exploring one of the most famous American holidays, Thanksgiving, and how it can actually help you feel more positive, motivated, and confident in your life.

Thanksgiving is more than just turkey and pie. It’s a holiday full of traditions, history, and emotions, both joyful and complicated. And at the center of it all? Gratitude. That’s our real focus today.

Together, we’ll talk about:

The traditions and history of Thanksgiving
How different cultures practice gratitude
Why thankfulness is good for your mental health, relationships, and happiness
Real-life tips and journaling ideas to help you start your own gratitude practice

Whether you’re living in the U.S. or just curious about American culture, this episode is a chance to boost your listening skills, expand your vocabulary, and learn how being more thankful might just make learning English easier and more enjoyable.

This episode + transcript is perfect for intermediate English learners (B1–B2) who want to build fluency, connect with American culture, and grow their confidence, one thankful thought at a time.

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📝 Episode 41 Transcript:

00:00 – Thanksgiving Traditions

Welcome back to the Peach Teach English podcast. We are going to have a special topic today: Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and for many American families, it's one of the most cherished holidays of the year. It's a time we gather with our loved ones and enjoy traditional foods like turkey, stuffing, and pumpkin pie, and we usually reflect on what we're thankful for.

In my family, we usually get together at my grandma's house or one of my aunts' or uncles' houses—sometimes even my family's house—and we eat a lot of delicious food. And when we're all sitting together, we take a moment for every single person to say what we were thankful for this year in our lives.

00:51 – The Origins of Thanksgiving

But have you ever thought about the origins of Thanksgiving?

The holiday dates back to 1621, when Pilgrims at Plymouth celebrated their first successful harvest with the Native American people in the area that had helped them survive their first harsh winter. While it's often remembered as a peaceful gathering, the reality is more complicated.

Many Native Americans view Thanksgiving as a day of mourning, remembering the injustices and hardships their communities faced as colonization expanded.

It's a complex history that reminds us to approach this holiday with mindfulness and respect.

01:35 – The Global Significance of Gratitude

At its heart, Thanksgiving is about gratitude, and being thankful is always a good practice. It's actually a universal value that transcends its historical context. And this brings me to something that I've been working on personally—prioritizing gratitude in my daily life.

Each morning, I set aside 10 to 15 minutes for reading and journaling, which has become a cornerstone of my mental health routine.

Right now I'm reading The Magic by Rhonda Byrne. It's a book a friend gifted me for my birthday, and I'm really enjoying it. It's all about finding the magic in life again, like when we were kids—and one of its key messages is gratitude.

What I love is how Rhonda highlights that gratitude isn't a new idea. It's been central to almost every culture and religion throughout history. For example, in Christianity, it's good to give thanks to God for your food and for what you have in your life as you pray. In Buddhism, practicing gratitude is part of compassion. Many Buddhist monks even start their days with gratitude chants.

It's amazing how gratitude has been a thread connecting people across centuries and continents.

03:01 – The Power of Gratitude

And that’s what we’ll explore today: the power of gratitude. We’ll dive into its benefits, look at some examples, and look at practical ways that you can add gratitude into your daily practice—not just something we reflect on once a year during Thanksgiving.

So grab a cozy drink, settle in, and let’s talk about the everyday magic of being thankful.

So now let's focus on the benefits of prioritizing gratitude. The first section is based on improving your mental health. When we're thankful, this helps us reduce our stress and anxiety. Expressing thanks helps us shift our focus from what's wrong in our life or what could go wrong in our life, and focus more on what is going right.

Expressing gratitude regularly also boosts your happiness. Studies show that practicing gratitude increases serotonin and dopamine—the brain's feel-good chemicals—and as a result, it will also combat negative thinking. Many therapists actually recommend gratitude journals, which will help reframe your negative thought patterns.

So a regular practice of gratitude has so many benefits on your mental health.

For example, I recently had a car problem. I was driving in the countryside, and there had been a storm recently in the area, so the dirt roads were covered in mud and had a lot of puddles. And I drove through one of the puddles, not realizing that it was a pretty deep hole. When I drove through the hole, the bottom of my car got hit really hard, busting something up underneath it that caused the engine oil to leak.

Now, I could have gotten really stressed and anxious and focused on the negative. But I do have emergency savings for these kinds of situations, so I just decided to be thankful that it wasn't going to cause me any big financial problems, and just focus on fixing the problem rather than complaining about it too much.

Another great benefit of gratitude is that it strengthens your relationships. It creates deeper connections because saying thank you makes people feel more valued and creates better bonds. It also encourages empathy. Gratitude fosters an understanding and appreciation of what people do for you. And as a result, usually when we say thank you to others, they will also show their gratitude back to us.

It’s an equal exchange of appreciation that's going to create more positive energy in our lives.

For example, during one of my mental health practices, the activity asked me to write down three names of people I'm thankful for and send them a message of gratitude. I sent a message to one of my colleagues, Katrina, who had recently done a podcast episode with me.

I expressed how I really appreciated all her hard work and the effort that she put into the event. As a result, she also shared her gratitude with me for having the opportunity. I really think sharing that exchange of appreciation helped us grow a stronger bond because we know that we both feel thankful to have each other in our lives.

As a result, because I started my day with that practice, I actually noticed that I had positive energy all day long. So it was a really excellent practice, and I'd like to do it more in my daily life.

The last benefit that I'm going to mention today is a hard truth—but being thankful builds resilience. It will help us during tough times. Reality is, things do not always go as planned. There are difficult times in our lives, but when we approach them from a gratitude mindset, it can become a little bit easier.

It promotes a growth mindset. Instead of just focusing on the losses or the problems, gratitude encourages us to focus on the lessons and strengths that come from those experiences.

For example, when I first moved to Medellín, I came here quickly for a job interview. It was to work at a call center for U.S. health insurance. The interview went terribly, mainly because the interviewer was just completely rude to me—asking inappropriate questions like if I come from a rich family, asking if I've ever had a real job, which is ridiculous because I've been working since I was 17 years old. Just really inappropriate questions that made me very uncomfortable.

When I was walking out of the interview, she handed me my resume and was like, “You might need this.”

I was super strong during the interview. But when I finally got out of the building, I just completely broke down because she belittled me so much.

But I'm actually thankful for that experience because I've learned a lot of lessons from it.

The first one is: I will never let anyone treat me like that again in a job interview. I know my worth, and I deserve respect.

Secondly, I'm thankful that I didn't get that job because I would never want to work for someone who treats her employees in that way.

I'm also thankful because I do think I could have prepared more for that job interview. I learned that I could have researched more about the company. I know moving forward I will be more prepared in other job interviews if I have them.

09:48 – Practical Tips for Daily Gratitude

Now we're going to move on to practical tips and exercises that you can use to add gratitude into your daily life.

The first one is: you can start a gratitude journal. Basically, this means you will have a notebook, and you can write down three to five things you're thankful for—each morning or evening, it doesn't really matter. I recommend doing it in the morning, just so you get yourself in that mindset first thing. But there are benefits to doing it before bed as well. This doesn't have to be anything super crazy.

It could just be a kind word someone said to you. Maybe you got to eat your favorite snack. But over time, you'll start to notice more little good things throughout your day.

The next practice is verbal gratitude. Take time to express thanks to someone each day. It could be a family member, a friend, or a coworker—but be specific. Instead of saying, "Thanks for everything," say, "Thank you for making me laugh when I needed it."

And the final tip for today: don't forget to celebrate your small wins. These little victories—like finishing a task, overcoming a fear, or just getting through a challenging day—matter. Acknowledge your efforts and the support of other people in your life.

Recently, I went to a Halloween party, and I've always been a bit afraid of heights. Nothing crazy, but I do get very nervous. One of my best friends, Sam, set up some ropes on the side of a mountain, and he was like, "I want you to try to climb it."

The first time, I got really scared and couldn’t do it. I took like a 10-minute break and decided to try again. I had a stronger mindset, and I was able to climb up the side of the mountain using the rope. Then he taught me how to move the rope to get back down the mountain—and I did it.

This is really something kind of small, but I faced a fear. And I'm thankful for my friend for believing in me, and the rest of my friends there who cheered me on. I'm thankful to myself for not letting my fears stop me. I could see my success.

Just retelling this story has filled me up with happiness. It’s really amazing what gratitude can do for our positive thinking.

12:29 – Thanksgiving Challenge and Wishes

As we celebrate Thanksgiving, let's remember that gratitude isn't just a holiday tradition. It's a way of life. It's about finding joy in the little things, appreciating the people around us, and staying mindful of the blessings we often take for granted.

I'd like to give you a challenge:

Write down three things that you are thankful for this year.
Write down the name of one person you are thankful for, explain why you're thankful for them, and send them a message of appreciation.
Finally, think about your small or big win today. Take a moment to be thankful for it.

And don't stop there—try to make this a daily practice. It can really make a big difference in your personal happiness and strengthen your relationships.

I want to end this episode by sharing my gratitude with you. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm incredibly grateful for you and the support you've shown me in your English learning journey.

I'm so happy to be here beside you as you're taking your English skills to the next level. And for those of you who celebrate Thanksgiving, I hope it's filled with love, laughter, and plenty of pumpkin pie.

Take care, guys, and see you next time.

🎧 Gratitude & Thanksgiving Vocabulary Guide

The following words and expressions were used in this episode. These are common when talking about emotions, mindfulness, resilience, and daily habits. They’ll help you improve your speaking and writing as you move toward B2+ English fluency.

👉 Listen to the episode again and underline the words you hear. Try to create your own example sentences to build long-term memory and confident usage.

🌟 Key Vocabulary from the Episode

Gratitude – The feeling of being thankful
To be thankful for – To feel appreciation for someone or something
Mindset – A person’s way of thinking
Mental health – Emotional and psychological well-being
Resilience – The ability to recover from difficulties
To reflect on – To think carefully about something
Daily routine – The activities you do every day
Cornerstone – Something that is very important or foundational
To reframe – To look at something in a new way
To let go – To stop holding onto negative emotions
Support system – People who help and encourage you
Small wins – Little successes or positive moments
Break down – To become very upset (emotionally)
Belittle – To make someone feel unimportant
Growth mindset – A belief that you can grow through effort and learning
To cheer someone on – To encourage and support someone
To face a fear – To do something that scares you
Blessings – Good things in your life
Meaningful – Important and full of value
To appreciate – To be thankful and show value for something

✍️ Practice Prompts for Speaking & Writing

Use these reflection questions to practice fluency, build emotional vocabulary, and connect with the topic on a personal level.

Speaking/Writing Prompts:

What is one thing you're thankful for this week? Why?
Who is someone you appreciate in your life? How do they support you?
Can you describe a small win you’ve had recently?
Have you ever had a difficult situation that taught you an important lesson?
Do you have a gratitude routine (like journaling)? If not, would you like to try one?

🎯 Your Gratitude Challenge

Ready to turn your listening into action? Here's your 3-part gratitude challenge based on this episode:

Write down 3 things you're thankful for this year. These can be big or small—anything that brings joy or comfort.
Think of one person you're thankful for. Write down why you appreciate them. Then send them a message (voice, text, or email) to let them know.
Celebrate your small win. What’s one small or big success you had today? Acknowledge it—and be thankful for the effort it took.

👉 Try doing this in English! This practice helps build fluency, emotional vocabulary, and a more positive mindset.