Forget the cold and forget the stress. Because only one thing matters:
It’s the most wonderful time of the year.
Whether or not Andy Williams is the one to tell you, it’s the truth. It’s the holiday season and that means turkey, eggnog and family.
For those who didn’t make it home for Fall Break, like myself, this is the moment we’ve all been waiting for. Soon we’ll be in the comfort of our own homes, warming up beside the fire with the pets that we’ve missed for so long and promising never to leave (if only that were true).
Home-cooked meals are being prepared as you watch “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving,” and the snow will slowly fall outside. The punch line: you don’t have any classes to walk to. There’s finally an excuse to relax and play your Nintendo, read a book or catch a late-night movie.
In my house, it is a tradition every year that my family sees a movie together after dinner. This year’s pick: “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part I.” It’s the newest installment in the franchise, and if you’re not caught up, you’ve just found what you’ll be doing for the next few days.
There are so many ways to enjoy this momentary break from the stress of projects, papers and professors. The break will fly by sooner than you realize, and you’ll be back on the doorstep of Mason Hall before you know it. So yes, study for that final. And yes, catch up on some schoolwork.
But my suggestion: hide your backpack, and don’t look at it until Sunday. We’ve been working hard for two months now, and it’s time to enjoy ourselves.
Fill yourself so that you enter a food coma. If you don’t get to that point, you’ve done Thanksgiving the wrong way. This is the one time of the year where we can eat an exorbitant amount of food that is typically frowned upon — no judgment now. There’s turkey, stuffing, yams, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie. The list doesn’t even end there, though.
Most importantly, Thanksgiving is truly a time to be thankful for the good things in life. Oddly enough, giving thanks is easily overshadowed by all the food, even though being thankful was the reason the holiday was brought about in the first place. When the pilgrims arrived in Plymouth 393 years ago, they put on a feast to celebrate the success of their first harvest in the New World.
Be thankful for the joys in life, because others may not have the same benefit. Don’t take what is given to you for granted, especially the meal you will share with your family a week from now.
If you’re worried about coming back to reality when the holiday is over, don’t fret. Only 10 more days of class plus some finals, and we’re back at home for Winter Break. When the time comes, I’ll be sitting under a tree full of light and decorations, playing with my puppies while admiring the voice of Karen Carpenter.
But even if there are 28 days standing between now and the end of the semester, one thing is for certain: I didn’t lie to you.
It is indeed the most wonderful time of the year, and that is something to be thankful for.