Thanksgiving is one of the most beloved holidays throughout the year. Who doesn’t love a day off to have an extravagant dinner with people you care about? For college students, it’s a great reason to take a break from preparing for final exams too. Unfortunately, not everyone is able to make it home during Thanksgiving break. If you are one of the people who will be on campus this Thanksgiving break, don’t stress out. There’s no reason why you can’t still have a meaningful Thanksgiving with all the same traditions and fun you had at home. There are plenty of other Clarkies who will be on campus with you, so why not use that to your advantage? If you’re interested in having your own Thanksgiving celebration at Clark, follow these four steps.
1. Find out who will also be on campus during break
Ask around campus (anyone from your roommates to classmates) or even post a Facebook message on Clark’s Student Body page to see who else will be around on Thanksgiving and invite them to celebrate with you. It may be awkward to invite people you don’t know well, but once you get through the initial uneasiness of it, you’ll be glad you did.
2. Make dinner plans
Start a group message or set up a meeting with those interested in having Thanksgiving dinner and figure out the details or the meal. First things first: decide on a time and place to have dinner. Decide what foods people like (ask if anyone has any allergies or is a vegan/vegetarian) and who will buy and/or cook what. If you want to keep it simple and easy but still festive, try one of these recipes:
3. Buy and prepare your part of the meal
Buy your ingredients a few days in advance. Even if you decide to skip cooking and buy something pre-made, like a pie or mashed potatoes, you should still buy it in advance and put it in the freezer until the day of. Then, unless you’re cooking something elaborate, get up early on Thanksgiving Day and prepare the food you promised to make. If you’re hosting the dinner in your room or apartment, decorate and set up the dining area.
4. Eat, drink, and be merry!
Round up your new friends and enjoy Thanksgiving together. If you have a TV, put on a holiday movie (A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving would be perfect) for everyone to watch while having dessert.
However you decide to spend the day, have a happy Thanksgiving!