Thanksgiving is meant to be a time when we gather around a table with our loved ones and give thanks for the various blessings in our lives.

But more importantly, Thanksgiving is about shoving 4,000+ calories of delicious, decadent food down your throat in one sitting. It's easily my favorite holiday of the year, which is why I decided to rank my favorite Thanksgiving dishes, including some local favorites. I fully understand these rankings might be controversial, so feel free to let me have it if you think I’ve gone too far.

  1. Stuffing
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MSPhotographic
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“You have STUFFING at #1?!” That’s a fair question. But my rationale is that I rarely eat stuffing outside of Thanksgiving, and really, it’s where all the flavor is. Turkey is the first round quarterback with all the buzz, but stuffing is the undrafted rookie free agent who becomes the franchise player. You can sub the turkey for tofurkey or even chicken, but stuffing is the real Thanksgiving dish.

  1. Lefse
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AmyKerk
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If you’re from Minnesota, odds are, you’re super into Lefse. It’s amazing, and an essential dish even if you’re just 0.001% Norwegian. It’s the one thing I’ll sneak from the table when no one’s looking.

  1. Cranberry Sauce
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marekuliasz
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Can anyone give me a good reason why no one eats cranberry sauce outside of Thanksgiving? Why is that? It’s so good. I’ll eat it straight from the container with a big spoon. Don’t judge me.

  1. Mashed Potatoes & Gravy
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DENIO RIGACCI
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Because it’s always fun to make the gravy volcano no matter what age you are.

  1. Pumpkin Pie
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Eric Hood
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I’m sick of pumpkin spice everything. You’re sick of pumpkin spice everything. But let’s not forget that pumpkin pie is the real reason for the season. Pumpkin Pie is the O.G. pumpkin spice.

  1. Turkey
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Creatas Images
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Is this too low of a ranking for the trademark Thanksgiving dish? Probably. But for me, turkey loses points for being a whole thing to cook. It's definitely worth it, but it takes forever, and having your entire house smell like turkey while you have to wait three hours before you can eat it is the most cruel-yet-delicious form of torture there is. Also, drink every time someone points out that turkey contains a drug called tryptophan, which can actually make you sleepy! Did you know that?! No one ever mentions that! I know, I'm grasping at straws. Turkey still rules.

  1. Biscuits with Honey Butter
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MSPhotographic
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A hot biscuit smothered in a combination of honey and melted butter? Oh, baby.

  1. Sweet Potatoes
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Elena Schweitzer
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Sweet potatoes are great because I’ve been able to convince myself that they’re the healthy alternative to regular potatoes.

*Pours 5 pounds of marshmallows onto one sweet potato*

  1. Something that has vegetables in it

Booooooring.

10. Corn Pudding

NOPE.

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