There’s nothing more rewarding when you are a QU student than the week off that we get for Thanksgiving. After seven straight weeks of class, this week off is more than welcomed. While many students get very excited about time to sit and do nothing and not go to class, others are appreciative of the fact that they get to go home and spend time with their families. I appreciate both aspects of this break, as a PT student I love having a chance to let my brain rest and get caught up on work without having to go to class, but I also love the fact that I get 9 uninterrupted days at home with my family. Spending time with my family is what I love most about being home, and I put myself 100% into it. I’ve never been a person that is good at keeping in contact with school friends while I’m at home or home friends while at school. I completely throw myself into whatever situation I’m in, and this Thanksgiving break lets me enjoy time with my friends and family. I’ve compiled a Thanksgiving break bucket list that I hope to accomplish this break while I’m enjoying my time at home.
1. Spend quality uninterrupted time with my family. This means putting my phone away, talking with my family and catching up. Often times I’m too attached to my phone, but during this week I try my best to shy away from that and embrace the time I do have at home. My cousins and I are very close and this break allows me to spend time with them for days on end. I usually get school yard pick up duty for my younger cousin, and although I get many strange looks when picking up my 12 year old cousin, I love how excited she gets when she comes out of school and is surprised to see me there and not her mom. Another thing I love about this break is that I get the privilege of babysitting my younger cousins on Black Friday while my mom and aunts head out with the rest of the crazies that partake in Black Friday. My younger cousin thinks that she is so cool getting to spend the day with me and that makes it all worth it. Giving her a day to do whatever she wants with me makes being home all worth it.
2. Bake for Thanksgiving. I am not a chef and I know that, but when the holidays roll around I give it a noble attempt. Over the years I have mastered a few different baking recipes and I love to bring something to the holiday dinners. This past summer my cousin and I perfected chocolate chip cookies, and I know my aunt cannot wait to have them at the table this week.
3. Christmas Tree Lightings. There is nothing that gets me in the holiday spirit more than listening to Christmas music. When the day after Thanksgiving rolls around I basically listen to it 24/7, but never a day sooner. Growing up my family has always gone and seen the local tree lightings near us, and that is what helps kick off the holiday season.
4. Organize a Secret Santa. There’s nothing better than being able to give your friends a great present during the holidays, but as college students I know money is generally tight. Having a Secret Santa with your group of friends allows you to focus on one person and get them a quality gift as opposed to getting lesser gifts for all your friends. With Secret Santa everyone is getting someone a gift, so no one is left out. Make it more interesting by giving a little speech or funny memory about the person you have and let the group try to guess who you have.
5. Regroup for the last two weeks of school. There’s nothing more stressful than the end of the semester. Trying to cram in all the things you want to do with you friends and school work on top of that is something that usually takes away form my sleeping hours. I’d be lying if I said that I always put school first during these two weeks because I also want to spend as much time with my friends as possible before we head home for a month and a half. Making schedules of when I can do work and what exactly needs to get accomplished is the only way I can get through this final push of school.
Remember, the holidays are a wonderful time to be away from school, but don’t forget to appreciate the time you have with your family while you’re home and stress free.