Thanksgiving just passed, and I really thank the Pilgrims and the Native Americans for supposedly feasting together as it allowed me a short break from this crazy semester. Over the span of Thanksgiving break, I really didn’t do much except meet up with some friends, sleep for 16 hours straight and do like six projects. Personally, I really needed this. A respite where I could rest up, see people I care about, and actually catch up on work. For me this has usually always been the norm as my family never really celebrated any of these year-end holidays. It’s honestly a bittersweet feeling because have I wanted to experience what a traditional Thanksgiving is like? Yes, but also I’m not opposed to the way it is right now.
Growing up, my parents and I were the only ones in the country. Being the child of immigrants, I too had to learn about the customs and holidays of this country. In elementary school, I recall doing cute little arts and crafts such as drawing a hand turkey before Thanksgiving or making a gingerbread house before the winter holidays. It was a lot of fun to do these things as a kid especially when your class would have a class party during the day before you all went on break. Those class parties were, to be honest, the closest I got to experiencing the holiday sentiment. I also recall talking to my elementary school friends about their break plans, and it would almost always consist of them traveling to a family member’s house and the entire family would feast together and spend time together. This was something I could never relate to then and still can’t relate to now as most of my family lives outside of this country. For this reason, we never really did anything during any of the holidays, but I promise it’s not as bad as it seems because there were a lot of other things we did that more than made up for it. So for that reason, the rest of this article will be a normal person’s guide to celebrating holidays abnormally.
Treat yourself out to a nice meal: Who says you can’t go out to eat on your own or with friends? Even if you don’t want to go out, you could make something nice for yourself.
Take advantage of all the sales: The holiday season usually means spending more than normal but if you don’t have to buy presents for anyone why not just splurge on yourself?
Sleep in: This one is self explanatory.
Curl up in your bed and watch a new show: This one is one of my personal favorites as I am a binge-watcher so unless I have the time and energy to commit to a new show, I can’t bring myself to watch. The holidays are the perfect time for anyone to start a new show.
Take some time to slow down: The year-end is crazy in general. The change in weather, the semester driving you nuts, the crazy realization that another year has passed by are among the many things that are going on. It can be overwhelming and almost anxiety-inducing so it could help to slow down and take some time to rest. It could also be the perfect time to reflect on the past year and plan for the next year.
