‘Friendsgiving,’ breaks the traditional Thanksgiving mold of celebrating the holiday with family, gives an alternative to those who cannot make it home for the Thanksgiving holiday.
The idea of celebrating the holiday with friends is popular among college students, especially out-of-state students because airplane tickets around the holiday time become expensive, and students are set to go home two weeks later for winter break.
The tradition of a home-cooked meal isn’t something the students asked want to give up for ‘Friendsgiving.’
“The most I would do is buy something from a Bakery but I would make everything else in house,” said Madelyn Spence, 20, Arizona State University student who said she, has celebrated her version of ‘Friendsgiving’ since she was 13-years-old.
Alex Kalemba, New Jersey native and ASU student, said this is his first year spending the holiday away from his Italian family, and although he is very excited to have an alternative with a friend’s family, he said, “I am going to miss my moms home-cooked meal the most.”
Ways to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday are endless, but tradition holds that Thanksgiving is a day to give thanks for what and who you have in your life among your loved ones, as we were taught the Pilgrims did with the Native Americans.
As the history surrounding what really happened with the Pilgrims and Native Americans evolves, the tradition of Thanksgiving evolves, as well.
The traditional holiday includes a variation of gathering among friends and family, food, drinking, football and expressing appreciation for what one is thankful for.
Rayden Terca, 19, student at ASU said Thanksgiving is centered on the home-cooked meal his grandmother prepares for his family of 15.
Most students asked on the ASU Tempe campus agreed with Terca when he said, “It wouldn’t feel like Thanksgiving without a meal made from scratch.”
A homemade Thanksgiving meal often requires lengthy preparation and a budget big enough to accommodate everyone’s needs.
Lelani Muao, student at ASU, sums up the general consensus from students asked about their holiday food budget. “I really am not sure how much a Turkey costs, I would probably spend around $50 on the meal,” Muao said.
There are a variety of different traditions; turkey is the staple for the Thanksgiving meal. Other items served are typically: ham, stuffing, sweet potatoes, casseroles and corn.
Sara Hansen, 20, from San Jose, sees things differently when it comes to the Thanksgiving meal, she said, “It is less stress for my mom and gives more time to relax and enjoy the holiday together,” when she orders takeout for Thanksgiving rather than cooking a homemade meal.
“There is a reason my parents prepare the thanksgiving at home,” Andrew Wei said, “It takes a lot of time and work, and I just want to relax.”
Of the men celebrating ‘Friendsgiving’ when faced with whether to have a homemade meal or prepared Thanksgiving meal, majority was in favor of a homemade, some going as far as to say it wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without a homemade meal.
However, when asked what they would do if the responsibility of preparing the meal fell in their lap, majority of men opted to look at their prepared meal options rather than spend the time cooking.
“I think that taking on the responsibility of cooking thanksgiving dinner takes away from why I like the day so much, it is a break,” Madelyn Shield, a 20-year-old student, said.
Student’s wrestling with the longing for a traditional thanksgiving meal and being able to enjoy relaxing, meaning no lengthy meal preparations, have found themselves delighted by the invention of ‘Friendsgiving.’
Most of the students asked favor potluck style ‘Friendsgiving’ because it requires minimal effort from each individual. Each person typically brings one dish, combining the items to make a Thanksgiving meal complete with the main food groups.
