I love thanksgiving. It’s a great holiday to gather around with family, friends, and loved ones and stuff your face full of tasty food. What more can an Italian like myself want? Not much. I however always do my best to be empathetic and aware of the less fortunate. Thanksgiving is an incredibly family-oriented celebration, but unfortunately, some people out there don’t have the chance to spend it with said family or loved ones. Here are some things you can do to enjoy the festive day and season of thanksgiving, even if you don’t have family to spend it with.
One activity that’s easy to do is a friendsgiving. I remember some of my friends in high school used to do this, and I always wanted to give it a shot, but I never did. What’s better than having a big get together with your friends and eating a ton of food? That’s how most of my friends and I hang out anyways. If you can’t see family, friends are the next best thing. Heck, some people would rather hang out with their friends than family, and that’s okay.
Friendsgiving can be super customizable as well. Each friend can bring in a specific dish to bring. Even if you have a small friend group, everyone bringing one or two plates can quickly fill a table. Friendsgiving is quite a common thing nowadays especially. Go on any social media platform and you can find tons of posts about friendsgiving events. If you need any help planning it, the world is your oyster.
Let’s say you don’t have a big or even small group of friends to do a friendsgiving with. That’s perfectly fine, I got your back. You know what I love that I don’t do enough? Picnicking. Picnics are so much fun. Eating food and taking in the scenery and nature around you is such a great vibe. Most of the time you’ll be picnicking in the summer and spring due to the nicer weather. But hey, the weather has been pretty all over the place lately, at least on the east coast, so a thanksgiving picnic can 100% happen.
Let’s say you only have one or two close friends. Take them out to a nice park, have everybody cook or bring some food, get a nice blanket, bundle up a bit, and enjoy. Sounds like a great time to me. Let’s say you’re unable to hang out with friends, you can still go at it alone. Bring the same stuff from before, along with a nice book. Do some journaling. Eating by yourself isn’t enjoyed by a lot of people, but honestly it can be nice to have some alone time. A good book always never hurts.
Speaking of books, there’s something about the fall and thanksgiving season that makes me want to read. Whether it’s a friendsgiving or a picnic, afterwards, try doing some relaxing reading. Most libraries are closed on thanksgiving, so if you can find an open one, go crazy. What I would do is I would, a couple days before thanksgiving day, rent out a ton of books and graphic novels from a library, or maybe go to a thrift store and buy some old, cheap books, so after I’m done stuffing myself with tasty food, I can do some nice reading. Reading relaxes me like nothing else, and I believe that’s what this holiday should be all about. It shouldn’t be a stressful or anxiety-inducing time. Whether it’s with family, friends, or a good book, make sure to enjoy this holiday and spend time doing things you love.