Thanksgiving can have a lot of positives, such as having time to come together with those you care about, or the food, but it can also be a time of stress due to coordinating dinner plans and holiday traditions. Therefore, what can be really cool about Thanksgiving is not necessarily the physical place or the actual people you spend it with, but how you bring your identity, your culture, and your love to what Thanksgiving means to you. For those who did not always have a big family dinner, the act of celebrating over a shared meal can be a tradition within itself, representing community and new beginnings.
We can kind of make or break with traditions as much as we want. Thanksgiving break is the last break before finals, making it a good time to reset and reconnect with the parts of us we may have realized we’re so important. This may include the people in our lives that matter more than we thought they did, or even the ones that don’t. It allows a space that we don’t always leave for the people we love when things get hectic. Part of a Thanksgiving tradition can be seeing best friends from high school or your partner’s family.
Now a senior in college, I’ve come to enjoy the new traditions I picked up, whether it be going down to the beach with mom and my stepdad or celebrating small business Saturday in Cape May. It’s also picking up an extra shift on Black Friday to put towards deals on items I’ve had my eye on since September.
Although it’s not the same traditions that I’ve gotten used to my whole life, it makes me feel more happy to be mindful about how to take some quiet time during this holiday, and move into the Christmas season by looking at the lights at Town Hall towards the end of the trip. Because of this, I’m able to feel more relaxed and present when I see my extended family for the longer Christmas break.
No matter how you spend Thanksgiving, everyone at “The Outlook” wishes you a sincerely happy holiday and a nice break off from what is a really difficult and crazy time at school.
