By Anthony Santino
Perspectives Editor
People call the holiday season “the most wonderful time of the year”—and it kind of is. Christmas and New Year’s are right around the corner, and they’re pretty damn awesome.
However, this time before Christmas and New Year’s is actually sad. Why? Because Thanksgiving is over.
I honestly look at Thanksgiving as the Super Bowl of holidays, and I don’t think too many people would disagree with that. There are some actual football games on TV, but I just think it has the best overall feel to it amongst all holidays.
I have heard from some of my 17th century buddies that the first Thanksgiving was a bit tense between the pilgrims and Native Americans. However, I think Thanksgiving has evolved nicely. It’s become a secular holiday that people of all walks of life can enjoy by taking time to appreciate family, friends and stuffing, the best side dish known to man.
I just want to give a quick and proper shout-out to stuffing. If there’s a food that deserves its own arbitrary paragraph in the middle of one of my ‘he said’ columns, it’s stuffing. May you forever prosper and taste like a million dollars.
A little subcategory of Thanksgiving that I only got to enjoy once I got to college, but nevertheless know I will love forever, is ‘Friendsgiving’. Whoever’s reading this has probably either participated in one or has at least heard of it, but just in case, it’s Thanksgiving…only with your friends. (Much needed explanation there, I know.)
I’ve participated in at least two Friendsgivings (I might’ve flaked on one, not quite sure how that went), and I know that it’s a tradition I hope to continue with each year.
I’ve got some close friends from my earlier years. But I made some pretty great ones at college too, and the Friendsgiving feasts I’ve taken part in with them were fun experiences. The food was almost better than the friendships.
If asked by anyone what my favorite holiday is, I’d confidently say Thanksgiving. The food is spectacular, but the whole idea of thankfulness and relaxing around family and friends makes it even more special. I feel like Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and Halloween have been commercialized to a near nauseating degree. However, other than the food that has to be bought, there isn’t too much commercial pressure for Thanksgiving. I like that too.
Thanksgiving’s just really cozy. It feels like a Wednesday night NBA game with the Christmas lights on in the middle of winter with some UberEATS on the way. Of course that’s probably a bad comparison because that and Thanksgiving are two very different types of occasions, but they’re both heart-warming dispositions, so I’m going to go with it.
As I’m a senior in college, and hoping to have a full-time job come this time next year, it’s quite possible that I may have to work next Thanksgiving. That’s not a guarantee, but I’ve come to find out that a lot of people starting out tend to have to work on such holidays in favor of their veteran coworkers spending time with family.
If that’s the case, then so be it, but I will miss my childhood Thanksgiving memories—and I hope to replicate the feelings they’ve given me in years to come.
