Although most holidays are spent with my family as we feast, converse and just hanging out for hours, Thanksgiving is by far my favorite. Sometimes Thanksgiving is the forgotten holiday because there’s no Santa Claus or Easter Bunny, but I look forward to the holiday every year.

Thanksgiving really makes me realize how important family and the little things in life are to me. Since Thanksgiving is the holiday of giving thanks and appreciation, I know that I am beyond blessed and forever thankful for everything in my life.

During Thanksgiving, I always look forward to waking up and watching the Macy’s Day Parade and "March of the Wooden Soldiers" with my dad. These are traditions for us, as "March of the Wooden Soldiers" is one of my dad’s favorite movies, therefore I love watching it with him. Unlike any other family spent holiday, for Thanksgiving, we host the day at our house and everyone sits around our living room table. Normally at family parties, it is buffet style and people eat all around the house. For Thanksgiving, though, I love the atmosphere of sitting and eating face-to-face with my relatives, discussing the most random things.

Being Italian, my family parties are based on food. What’s better than sitting in a food coma for hours? I always look forward to our Italian antipasto and my grandma’s deviled eggs. The traditional thanksgiving foods such as the turkey, corn, mashed potatoes and cranberries stuff my stomach to the max, but being full is something that I do not mind. Being a college student, normally eating salad and fries from my dining hall, thinking about Thanksgiving food makes my mouth water and my stomach growl.

Thanksgiving is also a time to be reunited with friends if you’re in college. I know that I have looked forward to going home because I haven’t seen some friends in three months. Everyone’s back home, so it’s a time to catch up and enjoy your time again with old high school friends.

Most of all, Thanksgiving to me is less about the break of school work and the gourmet food, and more a time to reflect on how thankful I really am for everyone and everything in my life. I’m thankful for my parents and grandparents who are with me every step of the way. I am thankful for my siblings who I can call my best friends. I am thankful for my dog who I can’t wait to squeeze. I am thankful for my friends who never fail to make me laugh and who are always there for me. I am thankful for my extended family and for all the good times and love that we share. I am thankful for my education and the different opportunities that I have living in the United States.

I hope that everyone has the best Thanksgiving this year, filled with love, laughter and good food!