The holidays are ten times more exciting as a college student because there is no school and you get to make the decision of staying in your dorm or travelling back home with family. One exciting thing is learning about what other students do with their families and how they celebrate. With new traditions coming up like Friendsgiving and ‘Friends-mas’, it broadens the holiday season and how others celebrate.
Morgan Rice, junior, psychology major said, “Spending time with my family on Thanksgiving just means gathering around a table together and having time to talk together, gathered for one day a year. My favorite part…is being able to visit with family that does not live close by.”
Every family is different as far as their choices of food, activities and location.
“My favorite part of Thanksgiving is talking to my family around the dinner table. Spending Thanksgiving with your family means being connected to my support system,” sophomore Taylor Hoffman said.
“Spending time together on Thanksgiving means the world to me. It means catching up on eating so much needed home-cooked food,” Kameron Jordan, sophomore, art major said.
Traditions are a big part of the holiday season as well. Every family has something that they do together every year.
“We usually watch the football game,” Jordan said.
“We starve until the food is ready,” David Duren-Sanner, junior, agriculture major said
“Typically, we all watch the Thanksgiving Day parade together and then eat. A tradition we have that most people don’t have is deep frying the turkey as opposed to baking it which a lot of families do,” Morgan Rice said.
“Our special family tradition is taking a long nap on the couch after dinner,” Jada Jimenez, sophomore, said,
Everyone has a favorite Thanksgiving dish.
“Macaroni because nothing else compares,” sophomore Terrell Bernoudy said.
“Green bean casserole because it is hearty and tastes good,” Duren-Sanner said.
Many different things contribute to this; where people are from, family traditions, and who makes it.
“My favorite food is mashed potatoes because of the texture,” Hoffman said.
“My favorite food is candied yams because that was the first Thanksgiving food I learned to make,” Jimenez said.
“My favorite food is broccoli and cheese casserole that my Nana makes.
I like this the best simply because it is what I think tastes the best because broccoli is one of my favorite vegetables,” Rice said.
Not everyone is able to celebrate with only family, so they also celebrate with friends which has now adopted the term “Friendsgiving” and these students said this:
“I usually have a Friendsgiving with my colorguard friends from the Governor’s Own Marching Band (GOMB) and we all bring a dish, it’s a great time,” Jimenez said.
“I usually would celebrate with friends on occasion since I go away with family unless I have booked a flight already,” Duren-Sanner said. “[Though] I’m more reserved with my family. When I’m with my friends I can be myself and usually have more fun since family is more dramatic.”
“Friendsgiving can be just as important as Thanksgiving, as long as you’re spending it with the right people,” sophomore David Seay said.
Some other traditions that these students participate in range from sleeping into going out Black Friday shopping.
“My mom cooks all the food 100% vegetarian, except for the turkey,” Hoffman said.
“Everything we do is pretty ordinary, I usually go Black Friday shopping on Thanksgiving night with friends,” Jimenez said.
“I like that we are skipping school and getting fat,” Seay said.
Many different students with many different likes and traditions all come together once a year with their families and friends to celebrate what they are thankful for.
