Maybe you don't get along with your family. Maybe you live on the other side of the country--or the world--and can't afford a ticket home. Maybe you're spending Thanksgiving with your SO's family instead. Or maybe you don't celebrate Thanksgiving. Either way, there are a lot of people who are not going home for Thanksgiving this year. If you're one of them and this isn't your first time away from home for the holiday, you probably know how to celebrate it on your own. If this is your first time not going home for Thanksgiving, I have a few suggestions for you.
This is not my first rodeo. For those of you who don't know, I studied abroad two years ago, during my junior year of college. That was the first time I didn't go home for Thanksgiving, and I learned a few things from the experience. This year, I'm in Japan again, and buying a ticket home for just a week--even if it is a week of good food and family--just doesn't make sense. Round-trip tickets across the world are easily a thousand dollars a pop. Skype--or Google Hangout, or Facebook Messenger, or FaceTime--is free.
That doesn't mean I'm happy to not go home. I'm lucky. I have a good relationship with my family. My parents are both great cooks. Yeah, we're not perfect, but I miss them a ton. For me, the holidays are an especially difficult time to be away from home. Halloween was tough because it's a time I spend with my friends. I made new memories and had new adventures this Halloween, and Thanksgiving is (hopefully) going to follow the same path.
My first suggestion, and plan for myself, is to surround yourself with people you care about. For me, that's the friends I've made during my time here in Japan. For you, dear reader, that might be your roommate, or your friends, or your even your pets! The first time you don't go home for Thanksgiving can feel a little lonely, but if you spend it with people you love, it's much more bearable.
Food. For a lot of people, the food is the best part of Thanksgiving. If you live in a place that doesn't really have a lot of turkey, stuffing, or pumpkin pie--kind of like Japan--you can improvise and make Thanksgiving dinner your own. Get some chicken! Or tofu, if you're vegetarian. Make some local food and call it your Thanksgiving dinner. Eat everything in sight. Even if you can't make a "traditional" dinner, you can make a new, original tradition.
When I went to Thanksgiving dinner with my relatives, we always ate too much, and then dozed off on the couch while watching football. Some of my cousins would leave right after dinner to line up for Black Friday shopping. Everyone has their own way to celebrate Thanksgiving, and there is no right way to do it. If you ache for your family traditions, you can find ways to incorporate them into your life away from home, too! Livestream the game, or watch it with friends. Go shopping anyway, even if Black Friday isn't a thing where you live. There are so many options!
My first Thanksgiving away from home, I went to KFC with some other American study-abroad students and we talked about how we celebrated at home. Fried chicken isn't turkey, and talking isn't watching football, but it was still a fun and memorable Thanksgiving. This year, I'm meeting with friends again for a potluck, and you can be sure I will eat as much as I can!
So, if this is your first Thanksgiving away from home, don't be afraid. I'm no pro at spending the holidays away from my family and friends, but if I can do it, you can, too!
