When you think about Thanksgiving, really think about it, is it all it is cracked up to be? We expect a day cut out from a Hulu commercial, or Home Living magazine, but we just end up spending hours traveling home by plane/bus/car/train/bicycle only to catch up on a month’s worth of laundry. Then we eat too much food that’s a bit too sweet, too salty, or too rubbery (does anyone truly enjoy turkey?) Maybe we catch a movie or trip to the mall between homework and hearing about Grandma’s book club, before going back on that plane/bus/car/train/bicycle, only to collide into finals week. Even Starbucks neglects Thanksgiving, using it as a time to exploit Halloween syrups and Christmas blends. And when combining that routine Thanksgiving with this particular year, the list of Thanksgiving disappointments now include:
- The unsuspected inclement weather that has pushed back my flight home until Thursday, and also has me writing this from my empty sorority house instead of a buzzing airport.
- The lurking thought that we only have one week of classes left instead of two, which means having more work over this break than previous ones.
- The Miley Cyrus/Turkey GIF
Despite these mishaps, Thanksgiving is still one of my favorite holidays (following Halloween and Labor Day, of course). We, as college students, count down the weeks and days until this holiday, and bend over backwards or across the country to celebrate Thanksgiving. Setting aside the secular or religious roots, what is it about this day that we look forward to the entire year semester?
- Reclaiming your childhood bedroom—posters, TV, mattress and all.
- Seeing high school friends after three months, even though it only feels like three hours.
- Black Friday sales… make good choices on this day.
- Mashed potatoes. And stuffing.
- That nap after Thanksgiving dinner.
- A home-cooked meal after a lifetime of Skibo and Eat Unique.
- Listening to extended family members compliment how intelligent/talented/beautiful/ambitious you have become.
- The Macy’s Day Parade.
- Pumpkin flavored everything (pie, soup, coffee, hot chocolate, cupcakes, stuffing…)
And of course, reuniting with your family, even if it is only for a few days. When we cut away the frills of Thanksgiving, it isn’t about flight delays, or turkey, or even Miley Cyrus. It’s about allotting this one night from our crazy schedules to remind ourselves we are loved, and despite the little things that get in the way, we have so much to be thankful for. Happy Thanksgiving!