How to Celebrate Thanksgiving by Yourself

Not being able to go home to your family for Thanksgiving could really put a damper on things. Campus will be quiet, your friends will have left, and you can’t help but think about what you might be missing out on. Hopefully this list will help you to have the best Thanksgiving you can. 

1. Reach Out to Your Family

Whether calling home once a week is your thing or you’re more of a texter, Thanksgiving is an important time to call home. Skyping your family is the closest you can get to being there with them. You could even eat your food with them on video chat. 

2. Treat Yo’ Self

Pamper yourself to something that will actually make you look forward to some alone time. Maybe you could go get a pedicure, enjoy having the room to yourself by binge watching a TV series, or you could go explore Portland (maybe try attending a  Powell’s book reading, some times they get super cool people like Drew Barrymore). 

3. Make Yourself a Grown-up Meal

There are plenty of ways you can avoid a Pinterest fail when cooking yourself a Thanksgiving dinner. One tip is to use a rotisserie chicken. They’ll be much cheaper than a big turkey and you can even shred up the leftovers to eat in salads and soups. Other no brainer foods you could make include: crescent rolls, instant mashed potatoes, Stovetop stuffing. And to top it off, try snagging something pumpkin-y from either the on-campus Starbucks or Mac’s Market. 

4. Connect with Your Dorm

If cooking isn’t your thing, you could try connecting with your dorm and attend their Thanksgiving dinner. Share Thanksgiving with your dorm family to fight your lonely blues. And check with your hall council and leadership to see if there are any events during the break to keep you occupied and hanging out with friends. 

5. Give Back and Volunteer

This is the perfect time of the year to give back. You could start small by giving extra food points to people who need food (check out this link for more ideas: http://www.up.edu/shownews.aspx?id=5096). Or you could explore beyond the campus and volunteer for churches and food shelters.

6. Watch the Parade

The Thanksgiving Day Parade is great for two reasons: 1. It’s so pretty, and 2. It can be on in the background and you will not have missed anything. Put the parade while you cook or while you do homework. Either way the parade is bound to get you into the holiday spirit. 

7. LISTEN TO CHRISTMAS MUSIC THE NEXT DAY

The time is heeerreeeeeeee!!!

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• thanksgiving