Thanksgiving, like all holidays, is a perfect opportunity to spend some time with your family. Unfortunately, Thanksgiving, like most holidays, is also a perfect time for everything to go horribly wrong. The slightest error can sometimes send all that was supposed to be good spiraling out of control into a pit of doom and disaster.
Most students are probably pretty excited to get to go home and gorge themselves silly with homemade treats, but there is a large number who are dreading the upcoming holiday. Whether those students are worried about facing their annoying aunt or nervous for their mom’s horrendous cooking, they do have one thing in common: the thought that their Thanksgivings are going to suck. Check out what some students have to say about why their Thanksgiving is going to suck and how they are looking at the bright side of things:
“I live in Maine so it’s a ten hour drive to get back home. It sucks to have everything set up here in Pennsylvania and then have to pack to drive for ten hours to get home. Most of the time I have to hitch a ride with a friend five hours up and then my parents take me the other five hours. On top of all that, I can’t eat that much because it’s during the wrestling season. However, because I'm so far away I don’t get to see my family much during the school year so its nice to see my parents and other family members at Thanksgiving.”
– Matthew Del Gallo, Sophomore, Messiah College
“My Thanksgiving sucks because it reminds me how crazy and dysfunctional my family is.”
– Brooke Ruhl, Junior, Virginia Tech
“One way my Thanksgiving is far from typical is the amount of people that come together. I mean just my family alone is 17 people and my dad comes from a family of 13 and my mom comes from a family of nine, and most of them have three or more kids! So, as you can imagine, it’s pretty crazy! But I love my family and the time that we have to give thanks to God for what we have, and of course I can’t wait for a break from school!”
– Stephen Cannon, Sophomore, Messiah College
“Well I have to say for the most part my Thanksgivings normally don't suck. Last year it sucked because I had to work Black Friday for the first time in retail at a mall. No bueno. I like Thanksgiving just because it’s normally the only time I get to go home during the semester. On the other hand this one might not be the greatest. My parents will probably be moving into a new house in Virginia, meaning I would have to help unpack and be somewhere without the rest of my extended family and who knows if everything like gas or electric will be turned on so I might not even have a turkey dinner. Chinese buffet it is! But the other reason why Thanksgiving isn't the greatest sometimes is because all of my family is really separate and they all dislike each other in some way, shape or form. My mom’s parents are separated so we have to make an appearance at each house and then my dad isn't allowed at one of my grandparents' house so he has to be at the house all by himself, which makes me feel really bad.”
– Christina Piper, Senior, Liberty University
“Well, considering the fact that my ability to make a quality meal for myself always falls short of satisfying, the idea of going home to gorge on good food made with love makes Thanksgiving look like the sustenance I need to get me through the rest of the semester. My Thai grandma – who hates traditional thanksgiving food – is coming up for the festivities. Although it might sound like the playground for family feuding, it always manifests itself in a huge Thai feast at lunch, after which we collectively pass out, wake up again and prepare for round two. I've taken Thanksgiving to be the one time of year where I'm allowed to behave like a total glutton and not feel guilty about it. I would say that because my Thanksgiving includes my Thai grandma and is not a typical run-of-the-muck American thanksgiving, it sucks.”
– Nina Dawson, Senior, Bard College
“My thanksgiving sucks because I wrestle and cannot enjoy a feast that everybody else gets to, due to having a tournament a few days after. Mashed potatoes are easily one of my favorite foods. I am looking on the bright side because I will get to eat after I do well at the tournament.”
– Alec Pence, Sophomore, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
“Thanksgiving is going to suck because I just became a vegetarian, but at least I can eat mashed potatoes and tofurkey!”
– Sarah Milcetich, Sophomore, Towson University
“My Thanksgiving sucked last year because I had to get my wisdom teeth pulled and couldn’t eat any of the food. Instead I had to sit there and watch everyone else eat, including my dog. But I'm excited for this year because I have my teeth and its my first year that I'm not wrestling, so I can eat whatever I want!”
– Seth Guth, Sophomore, Messiah College
Photo by besighyawn at flickr.com
