We all know that Thanksgiving is one of the biggest holidays of the year. It's a day that revolves around family, food, and celebrating everything that we're thankful for. For us college kids, Thanksgiving is so much more than that. Here's how turkey day is viewed in the eyes of a college student.
Family And Friends
Your entire family comes together to celebrate Thanksgiving. If you're like me and have a huge extended family, you know how much of a blessing this is. Everyone takes a break from their lives to spend time together and catch up on everything. Your grandma will ask you questions about your grades or if you have a boyfriend yet. You'll respond with, "No ma'am, I'm still single. Maybe next year, Grams" (even though you said the same thing last year). You get to meet your cousin's new boyfriend or finally get to hold the newest baby of the family. On the other hand, challenges such as remembering your audience when you tell a story is crucial. You have to remind yourself that you're not surrounded by college students and you can't constantly drop the "F-bomb" around your family. Altogether, it's so refreshing to be surrounded by a group of people that want to know how you're doing and that love you unconditionally. Sometimes constantly being surrounded by college students can take a toll on you, so it's nice to just take a break from them to be with your family.
Another great part about Thanksgiving is that all of your friends also make the trip home for a few days. You get to reconnect with friends that attend different colleges and possibly pull some shenanigans while you're all together again. Being in your hometown can be weird sometimes if you're so used to your college town, but being with your high school best friends makes it feel just right.
Food...duh
My favorite part of Thanksgiving is definitely the delicious home-cooked meals that my family puts together. From the fresh macaroni and cheese to the cranberry sauce, everything is delicious. As college students, we forget how much we missed food that isn't Ramen noodles or McDonald's dollar menu. We can eat as much as we want without being judged and even take some leftovers, if you actually leave any. I don't know about you, but making a turkey sandwich with real turkey the day after Thanksgiving is my favorite thing in the world.
Along with food comes the drinks. If your family is like mine, alcohol is not scarce at family gatherings. That means coolers full of beer, wine, and the fruity drinks that your aunt drinks. Free alcohol? I'll take 20. Thanks, dad.
Football
Every Thanksgiving, you wake up from your post-Thanksgiving meal nap and watch football with the whole family. Even if you're not a huge football fan, it's awesome getting to watch your crazy family scream at every touchdown or your drunk uncles arguing about bad calls. Watching your favorite team win makes for a great Thanksgiving also. Go tigers, am I right?
Taking A Break
Thanksgiving gives us college kids a few day to take a break from school and work, which is always pretty rad. You don't have to pay for food yourself because your mom makes your favorite meals for you, or you get treated to a nice dinner at the best Mexican restaurant in your hometown. You take a break from your Netflix binging and just be home to cuddle wit your sweet dogs instead. This break is especially important because finals are right around the corner, and you get to clear your head for a little while before the stress ensues. You also know that there are only about three weeks of the semester left when you get back to school, so it's always a weird and hectic time for the students. Catching up on sleep and laundry makes you feel like a new person, too.
Thanksgiving Traditions
Waking up on Thanksgiving morning to the mouthwatering smells coming from the kitchen is heavenly. You get out of bed to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade with your siblings while sneaking into the kitchen every few minutes to take bites out of your mom's sweet potato casserole. You actually put on makeup and get dressed in a presentable manner before seeing your family. Usually, you stick to huge t-shirts and no makeup on campus, so pampering yourself to see your loved ones makes you feel like a new person. Thanksgiving break also means Black Friday shopping. Waking up at the crack of dawn to shop all day for new clothes and necessities is awesome compared to our usual bargain shopping at Walmart. We get to prepare for the next great holiday, Christmas, too. Christmas music starts to come on the radio and ABC Family's 25 Days of Christmas begins.
As students, life can get very hectic and crazy at times. It's easy to forget how much we really have to be thankful for because we're focused on tests or jobs. Thanksgiving gives us the opportunity to share everything that we're thankful for, and that's important for us to think about in the midst of everything. No matter what you're giving thanks for this turkey day, take the time to celebrate being home with your wonderful family and just how important Thanksgiving is for us college students.
Happy Thanksgiving everybody!
