Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. 

The older I’ve grown, the more I’ve learned that this is actually quite the hot take. Many of my friends don’t like Thanksgiving very much. They say it’s boring, or too much of a break from routine. Some say the break doesn’t feel long enough and it’s like dangling a carrot in front of their face. Some people think it’s just a roadblock from Christmas, and others think Black Friday has corrupted the holiday that’s supposed to be about being with the people that are important to you. 

Before the age of eight, I didn’t give Thanksgiving much thought, either. To me, it was a day I had to wear ugly, poofy dresses and go to my aunts house to eat. However, at age eight, my parents, sister, aunt, uncle and cousin all decided that we would start going up to my parent’s condo in the mountains of New Hampshire each Thanksgiving, and this was a game changer. 

The routine is simple and timeless, and we all look forward to it every year. Whether we’ve encountered rain, shine, blizzards or hail. We make the four hour journey up to the mountains the day before Thanksgiving, bringing with us a plethora of baked goods made before we get there. My mom makes pumpkin bread, my dad makes dozens of cookies, my aunt makes apple bread and traditional Armenian choereg (though, the way we eat it is smothered in Nutella, I’m not sure traditional is the best word to use…).

Thursday, my mom and aunt prepare dinner all day while, the rest of us sit around uselessly. My favorite part? The parade and dog show. I get to watch the Rockettes every year, and in the dog show, I always root for the West Highland White Terrier, as a nod to my own dog, Tallulah. 

We eat around 4 p.m. I’ve been a vegetarian for twelve years, so I don’t partake in the turkey, however, stuffing, mashed potatoes, peas, corn and cranberry sauce can all be found on my plate. We usually end the night with a movie or game of some sort (we’ve had our fair share of successes and failures in finding games that work for seven people) before going to bed a bit too early for my liking. However, there is a reason for this, is because the next morning, we wake up and go outlet shopping nearby to partake in the Black Friday sales. 

Now, don’t get me wrong. Black Friday can be viewed as pretty controversial. But if you’re picturing a mob of people yelling and elbowing their way through a crowd at Walmart to get the last TV on the shelf, scrub your mind immediately. 

In honestly, we did used to head out for Black Friday much too early (5 a.m.). However, that was mostly for the excitement factor. Now we set out a reasonable 6:30 a.m. for some relaxing deal hunting. 

Sometime throughout the weekend we’ll make our way into town to experience the old fashioned five-and-dime store and get our first glimpses of winter as we walk around in the cold mountain air. By the time we have to come back, I usually feel refreshed. As a kid, I would of course be sad that I had to spend time away from my cousin and go back to school. But as I’ve grown older, I’ve realized this is just the prelude to  more time that will be spent with my family at the end of the year. I try to come back feeling refreshed and ready for finals, however I look forward to that week every year. 

I think, though leaving the realm of school can sometimes be stressful, especially when you have to pack up all your stuff, and sometimes it seems like it would be easier to stay at school and catch up on work, going back for Thanksgiving is the perfect time to recharge before finals for all students, and even to catch up on work from the semester.

 

Hi! My name is Liz Fusco and I am a senior here at URI double majoring in English and journalism. When I’m not writing blogs for campus rec you can find me working as one of the News Editors at URI’ student newspaper The Good Five Cent Cigar or working as the Vice Chair of the English Undergraduate Student Advisory Board. I love writing, reading, teaching dance and spending time with my friends, family and my dog Talullah.