While many students venture home for the break, some opt to stay in the College Station area.
Aggies dive into what Thanksgiving means to them personally, and why they have decided to stay in town during the three days off from school.
Thanksgiving brings to mind many different things: turkey, family, cooking and parades. For finance junior Maggie Bright, a College Station local, it means being surrounded by almost 30 family members, making for a memorable, jam-packed day.
“We start the day by having a Turkey Bowl,” Bright said. “The winning team doesn’t get much besides bragging rights, but that is enough for my family. Then, we head back to my house and start cooking for lunch. Right before we eat we say a prayer, and everyone says one thing they are grateful for.”
Where some families would end the day after the meal, the Brights keep the party going. Bright remarks that this is part of what makes the holiday so special and the love for her family so strong.
“We reconvene and start gambling after lunch,” Bright said. “We play poker and blackjack with real money, and then we gamble away until you literally have none or you won it all. This lasts until about midnight, and then everyone goes home.”
Public health senior Katie Guye also lives in College Station, but most of her extended family is in Illinois, where she’s originally from. To make the most of the day, Guye’s family welcomes friends and strangers into their home.
“My favorite part is having everybody over at my parent’s house,” Guye said. “On Thanksgiving Day, we always have a big party [with] family friends, students who can’t go home, single people and kids. It’s fun to have a holiday that’s normally very family-focused to be with all kinds of people.”
Guye’s part-time job at Sweet Eugene’s is another factor causing her to stay in town during the break, since she is an opening manager at the coffee shop. Nevertheless, she remains optimistic about the upcoming festivities.
“The idea of putting a bunch of time and effort into this one meal is really cool,” Guye said. “You spend so much time cooking and it’s just to love on people [and] getting to spend time with them without distractions.”
Biomedical sciences sophomore Nicole Adams said she is appreciative of her family traveling from Dallas to spend time with her in College Station. Adams said she’s looking forward to a specific part of the meal.
“My favorite part about Thanksgiving is the food, hands down,” Adams said. “I’m a big potato gal. I love sweet potatoes, baked potatoes, mashed potatoes, any kind of potato. My mom cooks well, so I have all the side dishes.”
Thanksgiving wouldn’t be complete without the mention of Black Friday, which Adams finds too daunting to participate in despite liking the idea of it.
“I’ve always wanted to go Black Friday shopping, but I don’t like waiting in line,” Adams said. “Online shopping like Cyber Monday is a good idea; I might have to try that.”
Whether home is near or far from College Station, students are making the most of the time they have off from school and focusing on what they are grateful for.
“I was blessed with a wonderful life and a wonderful family,” Bright said. “It is my favorite holiday because of the people I am with and what we do all day. I want my future family to experience how amazing it is to spend time with family, and maybe they will love it as much as me.”
