A Less-Than-Thankful Thanksgiving

Graphic by Emma Novy

So Halloween is officially over, which means we are about to enter the most hectic time of the year: the holidays. And while most people are focused on Christmas, I’d like to show some appreciation to the holiday that would go overlooked if the university didn’t give us an entire week off: Thanksgiving.

Everyone knows the “ideal” Thanksgiving: everyone gathers at grandma’s house and watches the game while dinner finishes. Over twenty people gather around the table to eat the most delicious food you’ve had all year and everyone gets to chow down on more food than should be humanly possible. The cousins go on “the walk”, the men go back to watching the game slightly more drunk than before, and the women gossip about everyone they know while pouring out another glass. The night finishes off with a spread of desserts as wide as the eye can see that you somehow make room for, before taking home so many leftovers that you’ll be sick of them after the fifth day of eating them for dinner.

But what if that’s not your reality? What if your Thanksgiving is a little less crowded and not everyone that you wanted to be there is able to be there? Well, for one reason or another, this has been my reality. But I don’t want you to think I’m just fishing for pity with this article (but if you wanted to send some I wouldn’t be opposed). I just wanted you to know that I’m qualified to talk about how to survive Thanksgiving when you’re not feeling, well, thankful.

The first step to take is realizing that you’re allowed to feel upset about this. You’re allowed to feel jealous that you never got the Thanksgiving or even the family that you were promised on TV. You’re allowed to ask “Why not me?”. And while it’s important to acknowledge this feeling, it’s equally as important to be able to move past it, otherwise you’ll spend the rest of your life bitter and unhappy without realizing that it can change for the better. Trust me, I know that this seems like an impossible task, but it really will change your whole perspective on the holidays.

After allowing yourself time to mourn the Thanksgiving that you never got, focus on building up that dream in real time. I know it sounds corny, but the thing that got me over that hump was Friendsgiving. Whether you only have one friend or you have a million, Friendsgiving is a way to let your friends know that they’re important in your life and that you’re grateful to have them. Plus, an added bonus of Friendsgiving is that you won’t have to listen to that one weirdly conservative uncle talking about politics or asking you about your love life. Instead, you get to eat delicious food among the people that you value the most in your life, your chosen family.

And if you’re thinking, “I don’t have a single person to celebrate with,” worry not! Spend this Thanksgiving spending time on you. Be thankful for your health, good memories, hell - be grateful that you made it through 2025. And in the spirit of giving, give yourself a day where you don’t do anything that you don’t want to do. Have a spa day, read that book or watch that movie that you’ve always wanted to or even just lay in your bed and catch up on sleep. Trust me, you will thank yourself for that later.

Hopefully, with my advice and a little bit of work on your end, this Thanksgiving will feel a little less lonely than others. Because when you focus on working toward the life you want rather than the life you currently have, the possibilities are limitless.