Joe and Jill Biden to celebrate Thanksgiving on Nantucket

President Joe Biden will once again enjoy a Nantucket Thanksgiving.

He and First Lady Jill Biden will travel on Tuesday to the island where they will celebrate the holiday with family, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said during a press briefing on Friday. On Thanksgiving Day, the Bidens will call members of the military to thank them for their service, she said.

They will return to Washington, D.C. on Sunday.

Thanksgiving on Nantucket is a tradition for Bidens

The family has visited Nantucket each November, dating back to 1975. In 2020, Biden observed the holiday at his Delaware home due to the pandemic. The tradition was then revived in 2021.

Last year, Biden was photographed visiting shops with family members while on the island. He spoke with media as he walked to Nantucket Bookworks. He also attended a tree-lighting ceremony with family members, including son Hunter Biden, daughter Ashley Biden, and his grandchildren, Hunter Biden, Finnegan Biden, and Natalie Biden.

During a Thanksgiving visit as vice president, he even once participated in a polar plunge.

Biden does not own property on the island.

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Biden pardons Chocolate and Chip

On Monday, Biden kicked off the holiday season on the South Lawn with the 75-year tradition of granting a presidential pardon to two lucky turkeys. Turkeys Chocolate, who weighs 46 pounds, and Chip, who weighs 47, were flown in from North Carolina for the honor.

"First of all, the votes are in," said Biden. "They’ve been counted and verified. There’s no ballot stuffing. There’s no fowl play."

He also quipped that "the only red wave this season" will come if his German shepherd Commander knocks over the cranberry sauce on the family's table. Earlier this month, midterm election results showed the Democrats were able to fend off an expected Republican "red wave" and perform better than anticipated.

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Biden's party will keep control of the Senate. Republicans will control the House, but with a slim majority.

Biden, who noted chocolate is his favorite flavor of ice cream, chose Chocolate as the official National Thanksgiving Turkey, but both birds were pardoned. They will now retire to North Carolina State University.

Biden turned 80 on Sunday. Usually, he celebrates his birthday on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, Jean-Pierre said. But because his family was in Washington, D.C. this past weekend for his granddaughter Naomi Biden's wedding at the White House, the milestone was instead marked with a brunch on Sunday.

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: A tradition: Joe and Jill Biden to celebrate Thanksgiving on Nantucket