For the typical American Uni student, Thanksgiving is a much-needed pre-winter break: a time for festivities with family and friends, and an opportunity to unwind before the brutal exams come. But how does an American studying in the UK go about celebrating Thanksgiving?
Personally, I find Thanksgiving to be the crux of my homesickness – I watch cynically as my home friends gather together for catchups, and my extended family reunites for the traditional roast dinner.
While I’ve tuned in to group facetime calls, nothing can emulate the feeling of being home. Thus, to combat the loneliness, I have taken it upon myself to devise an extensive Friendsgiving celebration to distract myself from homesick woes.
My ideal Friendsgiving is a tripartite event, including: dinner, games, and a night out.
Firstly, Friendsgiving dinner: I’m no chef, but the easiest strategy to hosting a Friendsgiving dinner is potluck-style: each of my friends brings over a dish of their choosing. This way people can bring things they are comfortable making and enjoy eating, and we are left with a vast and intricate spread of food. While traditional Thanksgiving classics such as turkey and mashed potatoes will make an appearance, we have more out-of-pocket dishes as well, such as plant-based nuggets for the veggies. Dinner will also be supplemented by a Fisher and Donaldson pumpkin pie. Though we are in Scotland, we can’t neglect the American classics.
For entertainment, our dinner will be accompanied by PowerPoint presentations. Each person is tasked with presenting on a topic of their choosing. Some examples include: “Who in the friend group would survive the Hunger Games?” and “Assigning everyone a Taylor Swift album.” This is a creative way to get your friend group engaged with one another and add an interactive element to dinner.
Following food, I’ve taken it upon myself to add an extra-dose of Americanisms into the evening. My friends and I will be playing our own interpretation of the infamous drinking game from New Girl: True American. The rules are notoriously impossible to understand, but we will try our absolute hardest to make it into something comprehensible.
Our evening will conclude with two St Andrews Thursday night classics: Jazz Night and Throwbacks at the Rule. While not quintessentially American or Thanksgiving-themed, it is a lovely way to celebrate the evening, spend time with friends, and take advantage of what St Andrews has to offer.
I will also be taking time to video call my family, as this tends to ameliorate my homesickness.
Regardless of how you go about celebrating, giving thanks to your Uni friends and finding time to relax and enjoy yourself before exams is crucial. Happy Thanksgiving!