All of my friends crammed into one tiny room, eating mostly delicious, only sometimes questionable food, laughing at Turkey puns… It must be Friendsgiving. According to Urban Dictionary, Friendsgiving is simply “the celebration of Thanksgiving dinner with your friends.”
Yes, Thanksgiving is coming up this week, and I cannot wait. I love sitting around the table with family, taking time to reflect on what I have been thankful for in this past year. And I am lucky enough to have a family that I want to spend my holiday with, even though they do know how to push all my buttons.
But sometimes, Friendsgiving is just what you need. This may be a new idea for you, but holidays are weird in college. If your family is anything like mine, you have traditions and memories and routines that may be interrupted by you being in a new place. So, you simply have to come up with new traditions and find just one more reason to celebrate friends.
We call our moms for their best Thanksgiving recipe and try our best not to burn down the apartment. We pull out our best serving dishes and scrub the counters. We vacuum and sweep and wash dishes. We turn on some music and welcome guests with a hug.
And then, we look around the table at our Friendsgiving feast and see family—people who have made my last three and a half years full of joy, people who have made Furman feel like home. I know I’m #sappy but you will be too when you’re a senior, just wait.
So, this holiday season, look around your table and be thankful. Whether you are eating frozen chicken nuggets and boxed Mac and Cheese, or a homemade, delectable feast, choose thankfulness. Enjoy the company of those around you. Cherish the stories shared and the memories relived. And no matter how chaotic, don’t wish away the time spent around that table.
