It's true that once students reach college, the degree of freedom and independence that they have is far greater. However, there is also a lot of added pressure that comes with being a college student. Juggling classes with clubs, social events, fitness, and sleep (with any luck) can be very challenging. After surviving midterms, we undergraduates are in desperate need of a break. Unfortunately, winter break is still weeks away. Our only hope for some rest and relaxation, then, is Thanksgiving break. On top of that, there are 13 more specific reasons we college students love Thanksgiving break.
1. Loafing around doing nothing.
Have you ever noticed how much easier sitting around is in comparison to doing things (i.e. class, club meetings, working out)? Well, Thanksgiving break is basically the last week this semester when it's acceptable and expected for us to do absolutely nothing all day, and that's what college students live for.
2. Wearing pajamas all day every day.
The stress that comes with choosing an outfit every morning is totally gone during Thanksgiving break as wearing one pair of pajamas for the duration of break is completely defensible.
3. Having their laundry done for them.
Doing laundry is one of the many responsibilities that we college students have to deal with, but when we're home, our parents are all over it. In fact, we saved about three weeks of laundry for them to do in the hopes that they would take care of it. Shout out to mom and dad for taking such good care of us when we come home!
4. Seeing our families.
Speaking of mom and dad, Thanksgiving is a time when we get to see our immediate and extended families. What's more, the adults in your family always make a big deal out of how much of an adult you've become since going off to college, which is the biggest ego booster for any undergrad.
5. Seeing our friends.
It's absolutely great to see our families, but before dinner on Thursday, we're all making plans to see the friends who went off to different colleges. The scheduling acrobatics are worth it to catch up with our former classmates.
6. Not showering beside other people.
Gnarly communal bathrooms are one of the downsides to living in residence halls on campus. There always seems to be hair in the drain, and you can never seem to find a time when the bathroom is empty so you can take a shower alone. Well, at home, the bathrooms are clean and the showers are solitary; those are two huge reasons to be thankful.
7. Sleeping in their own bed.
Nothing is more comfy than sleeping in your own bed in your own room. Well, nothing except sleeping without having to wake up to an alarm and risk waking your roommate in the process. There is so much time during Thanksgiving break for us college students to just get some much-needed sleep.
8. Watching TV on a big screen.
For the college students who have been surviving by watching Netflix on their laptops or actually trying to use the crappy televisions in the dorms (which may or may not get the desired channels), Thanksgiving break is a TV savior. It is truly the perfect opportunity to binge watch our favorite shows in the familiar comfort of our homes instead of straining our necks and eyes trying to watch new episodes on tiny computer screens.
9. Eating warm, fresh food.
Campus dining halls are really nice and convenient (especially if you have an all-you-can-eat dining plan). But, the food isn't always the freshest. Thanksgiving break means Thanksgiving dinner (a famous meal that campus dining halls try to emulate). Warm turkey, ham, macaroni and cheese, green beans, mashed potatoes, gravy, pie, and more? College student or not, the answer is always "yes, please"!
10. Napping on a comfy couch after dinner.
The only thing that comes close to topping Thanksgiving dinner is the group nap that the family takes on the couch after eating all that delicious food. For some reason, the post-dinner nap is exceptionally restful; it's also a great bonding activity for the whole family (except the ones who are cleaning up, but everyone is dodging them so they don't have to help).
11. Black Friday shopping.
There's nothing like a full day of deal hunting with your family. Strategizing to maximize the amount of stuff you can buy really brings the family together. And the best part is that, if you stay with the adults, they'll probably pay for you. Plus, the adults are better at telling off strangers who try to steal your family's table at the food court or grab something from your shopping cart.
12. Leftovers.
Thanksgiving dinner might be the one meal that produces quality leftovers. Thankfully, we have the entire weekend to eat nothing but reheated stuffing and a lot of turkey sandwiches; the leftovers aren't always perfect, but they're probably still better than what we college students usually eat.
13. Winter break!
While Thanksgiving break is only a week in length, it functions as a nod at the month-long break that's just on the horizon at this point: winter break! Thanksgiving break will give us undergrads the last bit of rejuvenation we need to power through finals and reach winter break.
In conclusion...
Thanksgiving break is beloved by all of us exhausted college students because we get to eat, sleep, and do nothing (all in our most comfy PJs). But, even more importantly, we get to spend quality time with the people we love and cherish most. Even though it's short, Thanksgiving break should not be overlooked, especially because of the gratitude it inspires in all of us.
