If we’re being honest, then we all know that Thanksgiving is an underappreciated holiday. I mean I guess it is hard to compete when you have Halloween before it and then Christmas right after. Thanksgiving you could say is the middle sibling. Everyone always forgets about Thanksgiving because Christmas is the following month. I know I’m guilty of not appreciating Thanksgiving. Personally, I always think Thanksgiving is the lesser version of Christmas, since at Christmas not only do you see your family and eat great home cooking, but you get presents, music, and holiday movies. Last year, I found a better appreciation of Thanksgiving, and it was because of Friendsgiving.
I had no idea that Friendsgiving was even a thing. I thought and assumed it was a new thing to use for your Instagram caption like Woman Crush Wednesday etc. I was invited to my first Friendsgiving last year. In my head, I was like what the hell is a Friendsgiving. My friends that invited me to it basically told me it was like Thanksgiving, but just with friends. All you had to do was bring food and enjoy yourself. I obviously picked bringing dessert and drinks because I was not going to be responsible for giving anyone food poisoning. I had no idea what to expect since this was a Thanksgiving with my friends. I wasn’t even a fan of Thanksgiving, and I never had a traditional Thanksgiving. My grandmother would always cook Thai food for my family during Thanksgiving, while my mom and uncle usually made something American, which never consisted of ham or turkey. My family and I usually watched movies and called it a night, so to say I was in for a surprise at Friendsgiving was an understatement. Everyone was dressed up and traditional Thanksgiving food was made along with other food. I never dressed up for Thanksgiving, since my family and I are comfy clothes kind of people, plus we don’t take photos or leave the house. Friendsgiving was interesting compared to Thanksgiving with my family. There were laughter, music and just happiness. You find a new appreciation for your friends during Friendsgiving.
When Thanksgiving and Friendsgiving roll around every year, we just brush it off as a time to just eat great food and forget about school for a little bit before finals come around. This year, I’m actually excited about Thanksgiving and Friendsgiving. Friendsgiving helped me find a new appreciation for this holiday. Thanksgiving is a time to be appreciative of what we have. The loving family that we get to come home to during the holidays that as crazy as they might be that they love us unconditionally. It also helps you realize that you don’t need to have a traditional Thanksgiving for it to be Thanksgiving and appreciating how unique everyone is. It makes you appreciate your friends. Friendsgiving reminds you that Thanksgiving isn’t always about being appreciative of your family, but your friends as well. Find an appreciation for those around you, this year, because we truly are lucky.