It’s that time of the year when Thanksgiving break is just over the horizon, but it’s still tantalizingly far away. Having just surpassed midterms, we’ve all grown a little weary of the stress of school life and aren’t quite sure how to survive the next few weeks. If you’re tired of counting down the days until Thanksgiving and find yourself wishing you could just skip to the turkey-filled days ahead, here are 11 ways you can keep yourself occupied until Thanksgiving finally arrives.
1. Halloween.
Halloween is fun, and will certainly pass the time before Thanksgiving arrives, but we all know what Halloween really means…that once it’s over, you can start looking forward to the REAL holiday season.
2. Halloween candy.
Whether you solicited it from strangers or just bought it yourself, if you’re careful, you can make your delicious Halloween candy last until Thanksgiving. But, let’s be honest…you’ll have it finished within a week.
3. "Harry Potter" movie marathons.
There’s never a bad time for an "HP" marathon, but there’s something about the fall weather that makes it sound even more appealing. If there isn’t one already playing on ABC Family, grab your DVDs (I know you have them), make a bowl of popcorn, and congratulate yourself on having such good taste in movie franchises.
4. Go apple picking.
This may seem a little basic (I can’t tell you how many apple orchard pictures I’ve seen on Facebook this fall), but apple picking is SO fun. And you get food out of it. And you can use your apples to make apple pie. Is there really anything better than that?
5. Get mentally psyched for the start of the Christmas season.
It may seem a little early for getting into the Christmas spirit, but that doesn’t mean you can’t secretly get hyped. Because you know that once Thanksgiving hits, the Christmas season will be coming in full force. So don’t be embarrassed to turn that Christmas Pandora station back on…it’s never too early.
6. Go on a mini-road trip.
Pile all your friends into a car and take a mini-road trip one weekend. You don’t have to go too far, but go somewhere that will allow you to get away from school for a while and see the fall colors! Take a minute to appreciate the fall weather, before it gets too cold and all the leaves fall off the trees and everything is ugly.
7. Start making your Black Friday shopping list.
You’re not a true American if you’re not going Black Friday shopping. In order to make the most out of your upcoming trip, you could pass the time by jotting down some things you’d like to purchase. That is, if you're patient enough to wait.
8. Go for fall walks outside.
The snow hasn’t fallen yet, so there’s still time! Go for a walk outside and step on as many crunchy leaves as possible. Quick, before it gets too cold!
9. Make the perfect cup of hot chocolate, tea, or coffee.
Make something different than your average morning coffee. Find a recipe online. Add some cinnamon, honey, or what-have-you. Do what you gotta do to create the world’s greatest warm drink of your choice.
10. Make s’mores.
If you have access to a fire pit, you may have better results doing this there. However, if you don’t have this luxury, you can still make your attempt on a stovetop or even in the microwave.
11. Have a mini-feast with your friends.
It's the perfect training for your actual Thanksgiving dinner. If you have several of these mini-feasts, you can think of them as training sessions to get your stomach ready for the real thing. You know how runners train for marathons? You're training to eat as much food as possible this Thanksgiving. And you will win.
Keep fighting, friends! Thanksgiving is almost here. You can make it. I believe in you.
