Making the Most of Thanksgiving Break

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Thanksgiving Break is upon us. Soon we will be wherever we call home with our families (by birth or by choice), and celebrate the national holiday (no school for anyone). I don't know about you, but Thanksgiving has never been my favorite holiday, or even my second favorite (#CHRISTMAS FOR LIFE), but this year I'll be going back home to see my family and what my new home looks like. My mom moved to Missouri, a place I've never been to before, and I'm excited to see my new room and reorganize it in a way so that it looks less like a storage locker. I plan to relax and have some fun, but I also want to use those extra 192 hours of free time to better myself and show my appreciation for the people I love.

Here are the top 5 ways I plan to make the most of my Thanksgiving Break:

1. Avoiding Toxic and Anxiety-Provoking Situations

I have two main family groups: my mother's and my father's. This became confusing, since my father remarried and my step-mother's family became the third main family. The holidays have always been a hassle since it seemed that I was always hurting someone's feelings by choosing one location over another, but now I'm comfortable with my decisions and realize that I need to do what makes me happy. I'm not obligated to spend my time with anyone that I don't want to, and being a grown woman (20 years old, for goodness sake) means that I make my own decisions and everyone has to respect that. If you have a hectic, dysfunctional family life, you know where I'm coming from. 

I don't have a car, I don't know how to drive, and I'm a broke college kid. I do my best to live within my means and make the best decisions for where I am in life. It's unrealistic for anyone to expect me to make trips across the country to see them, and quite frankly it's both irresponsible and disrespectful for anyone to tell me how to live my life when my best interest is clearly not their priority. Whew, now that I've got that out of my system, I can say with certainty that I will be celebrating my holidays how I choose to. 

2. Starting New Holiday Traditions

Speaking of celebrating the holiday, I'd like to start some new traditions on the family. I'm away at college, my older cousin has a job, and we're all scattered across the Midwest. All of us kids are no longer kids, so we can start changing things up a bit. Normally we'd all go to Grandma's or my aunt's and watch TV or chat about our lives since we last saw each other - the previous week, or July - then, we'd eat together all the delicious food that was made. I'm an adult now, so I need to come up with my own dish to contribute. My mom always does the Mac N'Cheese, now vegan Mac N'Cheese, my Grandma the meats, and my aunt the pies. My uncle's started bringing fancy wine, and my little cousin made regular Mac N'Cheese. I want to make a desert since sweets are my favorite part of all meals, but I'm not sure what yet. 

I think it'd be nice for everyone to start bringing our favorite photos to share with one another. A lot was lost when my childhood home flooded and later caught fire, but a lot was saved, and it's been years since then. I think this will be a great way for me to open up to my family, since I'm still the shy one. We can talk about family we haven't seen in a long time and come up with more ideas together. Besides coming up with my special dish to contribute, I can also take the initiative of one of our current traditions and make it something that I do every year. I think setting the table and deciding where everyone should sit is the best option for me. I can even make decorations, though we'd run out of space for food if I did that. 

3. Spend All My Money (that I've budgeted) on Christmas Presents

I've been adding trinkets and toys to my shopping list all year, but now's the time to decide on my budget for gifts and watch for those sales. The moment I turned 18, I was no longer a child, but I'm a winter-baby so I was given special treatment. Freshman year, I gave family members what I deemed to be my best creations from the ceramics class, but last year I was at a complete loss. I spent so much time being nervous and sad that I was so broke after paying for my tuition, that I didn't buy anything. I decided to just give hugs and sign on my mom's gifts, and was surprised that everyone was fine with that. This year is different, I will sign my own gifts and will no longer depend on my mother to know what to purchase! I'm still broke, but I'm more determined than ever, and I know I can give everyone the gifts they deserve. 

4. Opening Up to My Loved Ones

Keeping in touch can be difficult while in college, because it seems like I'm the only one reaching out. The friends I was once close to are gone now, but, they're really not. I've always been the shy one  and the reserved one, so people tend to keep their distance until I reach out. It's a sucky feeling not being comfortable talking to people, especially when I know that they will whole heartily welcome me. But now's the time to decide who I want to be in my life and whose lives I want to be a part of. Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to call up everyone I went to grade school with, but I will show my appreciation for those who have put up with me over the years.

I love writing letters. Writing allows me to express myself and take the time to reflect on my words. I can rephrase sentences to better convey their true meaning. Thanksgiving is when I open up to my family, but this year I plan to open up to everyone who calls me their family. I won't expect anyone to write back, I won't expect anyone be positive and thank me, and won't expect anyone to be negative and curse at me. I'm writing because I want to speak my truth and I know that I'll feel better once I do. This is my break from my routine, so I won't waste this chance.

5. Catching Up On My Notes and Finishing Assignments
If I spend three days of the break focusing on academics, then I can spend the other days relatively stress free. I need to catch up on my astronomy notes, and I'm not exaggerating when I say this will be the death of me. Memorization is not my thing, and I've definitely procrastinated on rewriting my notes. I'm hoping to write complete notes based on the book, that way I can say that I tried. I also need to finish all the papers needed for my ACP binder, and write my final Personality paper! You see, there's work I enjoy doing. I'll have plenty of time to not do homework over winter break.

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While it'd be cool to have a list of 10 things I plan to do, I don't. Unrealistic expectations are something I've been trying to avoid, plus my homework adds at least four items to this list. Let's make Thanksgiving an amazing experience. Don't be discouraged if past holidays haven't gone so well. You have the power to decide how you will live your life; It's the blessing of being born human. If Thanksgiving tends to be a magical time for you, congrats, you've won the lottery. All in all, we should all use this break from classes to our advantage. Whether you're working every day, playing video games all night, or trying to keep your kid siblings from killing each other I hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving!

P.S. I originally wanted to make a list of things NOT to do over the holiday, but really who wants to read about that? Just make the most of the time you have and appreciate the life that you live. 

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