When we think of Thanksgiving, we think of food. The children nestle all snug in their beds, while visions of turkey legs dance in their heads. College students justify their long and extravagant Thanksgiving meal by comparing it to their limited food selection from the dining halls. Families spend hours preparing home cooked meals: turkey, mashed potatoes, yams, stuffing and homemade pies. Quite simply, it is the American way to think of Thanksgiving as a food holiday, but are seven more reasons why you should be excited for Thanksgiving (besides the food)!
1) Sleep
Whether you are flying home or staying on campus for the holiday, you are almost guaranteed to catch up on some much-needed sleep. You can catch a few “Zs” on the plane ride home and it is even socially acceptable to start your days after noon. Thanksgiving is a holiday for relaxation, before the undeniable cram of finals.
2) Reuniting with Friends and Family
The long awaited reunion between high school buddies has finally come. Thanksgiving finally provides the opportunity to catch up with friends and family without a computer monitor or iPhone as a mediator.
3) Football
Northwestern’s home games may be over, but Thanksgiving weekend is football prime-time. Flip through any channel and you will be able to find a game and get your football fixing. You can even watch the Cats take on University of Illinois at Soldier Field on Saturday, November 28
4) The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
Roll out of bed Thursday morning and tune into the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, complete with Broadway performances, enormous character balloons, marching band appearances and meticulously crafted floats. The parade is always a sight to see, especially from the comforts of your own home.
5) A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving
Who doesn’t love the classic movie? There really is no other time or place to watch the quintessential cartoon. Quite simply, the holiday almost seems incomplete without watching Lucy school Charlie in football.
6) Black Friday Shopping
For all the shop-a-holics and coupon-savers out there, Thanksgiving is just the precursor to the real day: Black Friday. Black Friday is a time when big department stores make sweeping deals on half the items in store in order to allure people into their stores. Finding an incredible deal without being trampled in the process is the ultimate Thanksgiving weekend goal.
7) The Holiday Season has Begun!
The holidyas are coming! Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the official “holiday season” that runs all the way through New Year’s Eve. There seems to be a cheeriness in the air as holiday cards begin to flood mailboxes, neighborhoods hang lights and holiday shopping begins. After Thanksgiving, it is even socially acceptable to start playing Christmas carols. You can even start exchanging the usual “Have a good day!” with the more timely, “Happy Holidays!”