Turkey Day traditions
Through the whirlwind that is fall semester, Thanksgiving is here! Midterms are over, football season comes to a close, and anything and everything is pumpkin-spiced. Fall and winter are in limbo before Logan is officially blanketed in snow. With Thanksgiving on Thursday, students and faculty alike are on their way to all-you-can-eat pie and no class.
For some, holiday traditions include Black Friday shopping, turkey stuffing, family football, and sweater weather. Christmas decorations start going up (whether you are ready or not). Hot chocolate with marshmallows and whipped cream warms hands and stomachs on chilly nights. There is diversity in everyone’s Thanksgiving experience, making the season of gratitude all the more colorful.
Thanksgiving to me means my mom’s homemade, warm wassail (think orangey, cinnamony apple cider). I always cuddle up with my dogs to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Mom is already stressed about dinner and dad is assuring her it will go just as well as years past. My older sisters are bickering while my brothers talk about what shoes they want for Christmas. The faux fireplace adds to the ambience. Just imaging it brings me warmth similar to my mom’s wassail.
Rachel Larsen, a sophomore in the exercise science program at Utah State University, will be driving to her hometown of Las Vegas for the holiday. With a long drive home, she is looking forward to relaxing in her family’s living room.
“(My family and I) all watch football after we eat dinner together,” Larsen said.
Other Thanksgiving traditions are a little more intense.
“All the aunts and uncles have to sit in a circle,” said Amber Bailey, a student at USU. “My mom has this giant stuffed scarecrow that they pass around. Whoever is stuck with the scarecrow after a certain amount of time has to host Thanksgiving dinner next year. With the size of my extended family, that’s almost a punishment.”
The Patten family prefers an athletic Thanksgiving.
“We run a 5k in the morning,” said Karl Patten, a nursing student at USU. “When it gets dark, we have a competitive game of pickleball.”
Whatever your traditions may be, enjoy them this week. If you need me, I’ll be drinking hot wassail and cuddling with my dogs at my parent’s house. Wherever you may celebrate, we hope you stay safe. We are thankful for you, Aggies!
—hannahjoycee00@gmail.com