November has arrived, and with that in mind, Thanksgiving is near. Thanksgiving is a great time for students to travel home and spend time with their families. Outside of Christmas, it’s the most well-known holiday where every relative joins under one roof and feasts together on a serving of homemade food. Students and professors were asked how they will celebrate this year’s Thanksgiving.
Tami McDaniels, Coordinator of Tutoring and Academic Support, shared how she will celebrate this year’s holiday. “We have a traditional Thanksgiving dinner for all of my five kids, my eight grandkids, my mom, and some friends as well–so twenty-five people.” Alison Hawanchak, Ph.D., professor of Old Testament, shared a similar statement. “We will celebrate Thanksgiving with my family by going to my parent’s house where I hang out with my two sisters, three nephews, and grandmother in Illinois.”
For Thanksgiving, everyone has a special tradition they do for fun on the holiday to help bring family and friends together. Eli Reutlinger, Hill’s resident advisor, states, “We have assigned dishes we make for ourselves, eat a bunch of desserts, and we always play Mexican Train.” Morgan Boatwright, Hill’s resident advisor, shares a similar tradition. “We cook, eat, and play games like crazy rummy.”
McDaniels also speaks on her family’s tradition, stating, “One tradition we have is after dinner, we play board games, video games, and card games. We play in groups where everyone can take part. We also watch the Dallas Cowboys playing in the background.” Hawanchak adds, “My grandmother started a tradition where we sign our signatures on table clothes, and we’ve done that ever since.”
Thanksgiving isn’t only a time when relatives can meet together in one setting, it’s also a time to feast on meals. Reutlinger shared, “I’m partial to sweet potatoes, but I like turkey as well. And for dessert, I like pretzel jello.” Boatwright shares what she believes is a controversial opinion, “My favorite food is devil eggs, and my favorite dessert is chocolate pies.”
Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday just for the benefit of families from different cities, states, or countries to get together as one extensive family; however, some students might not see their family for different reasons, but it’s not entirely a lost cause. Hawanchak shares some encouraging words about the topic. “I know it’s hard to be away from your family. I’ve experienced it before because of how far my family is, but don’t forget that you’re not alone and that you have a support system here at SNU.” Boatwright also adds, “Don’t be afraid to make new traditions and find students here for support.”
Students are not alone when a holiday arrives. Thanksgiving is a time to surround yourself with people who care about you, and those who cannot see their family have opportunities to have Thanksgiving with the Bradley family or at BFC where they can make new traditions with other students.
Featured Photo by Patrick Fore on Unsplash