These are important questions, though I must say it is a little late for you to be asking considering that Thanksgiving is right around the corner!
Thanksgiving is a feast, and feasting is something humans do in many cultures (but not all, probably). A while back I wrote a piece of feasting that you should read to prepare yourself for Thursday:
The Feast (A Thanksgiving Day Story)
There’s a lot of ways to cook a turkey and everybody has their favorite. But this way is the best:
How to cook a turkey
In case you were wondering about the origin of the turkey, here’s the info on that:
The Domestic Turkey and the First Thanksgiving
In case you were feeling bad about cooking the turkey (or other animals) you can find out how to do a Vegan Thanksgiving here.
Meanwhile, you might want to make gravy, in which case you will need information on how to make stock as well: