For some reason, there's this common dread among college kids towards Thanksgiving with family. Particularly, over all the questions college kids get during the Thanksgiving meal. There are articles galore on Odyssey alone that talk about the "dreaded questions." And I, for one, have never understood it.
What's wrong with your family giving a shit about how you're doing?
I get it. Not every family is the perfect happy family, and some families don't get along. But at least don't whine about going home and "dealing with" your family, who don't get to see you while you're at college, asking how you're holding up. I know, it can be uncomfortable when the questions turn to old friends or your love life (two topics that are always uncomfortable to discuss with family), but it's five seconds of dealing with those questions. Once they've been asked, you get to move on to the good stuff: the food.
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, thanks to my family.
I love Thanksgiving. Always have. In my mind, Thanksgiving has always been associated with good food, fun, and most importantly, family.
My family has been having Thanksgiving dinner at my grandparents' house since forever. It's a tradition that never gets old. And even in the years that we did it at my house, it still felt great because of the people who were there.
Thanksgiving means my little cousins all running around and being loud, having a blast. It means getting to see my aunts and uncles who I don't get to see very often, especially the ones who live out of state. It means lots of delicious homemade food that fills you up–and grandma divvying up the leftovers among the different branches.
Thanksgiving means comfort, happiness, and safety. Warmth and light. Cozy clothes and full stomachs. Just...happiness.
And now, I have new traditions.
For the third year, I'm having Thanksgiving lunch with my boyfriend and his family. He and I watch the Macy's Day Parade (mostly for the floats and Broadway performances), which is something I never used to do. It's just nice to sit down and have a quieter Thanksgiving meal before the loudness of my family's dinner.
Over the last couple of years, my family hosted Thanksgiving dinner rather than going to my grandparents' house. It was a fun new tradition, and an incredible experience to have so much of our family in our home. We're back at my grandparents' house this year, but my father is cooking everything at our house.
Thanksgiving has only good memories for me. And I can't wait to make more good memories this year.
