The dreaded week before Thanksgiving Break is a college student’s worst nightmare. Every year this is the week that makes me question my own sanity, making me pose the question…is a nap really the best idea considering I have every assignment under the sun due on the same day? Five semesters at the University of Scranton have passed and my answer is still an astounding yes—a nap is most definitely worth it. The never-ending nights spent in the library and multiple trips to Starbucks leading up to Thanksgiving have a universal underlying motivation—the mouthwatering thought of the food coma we are going to experience in just a week’s time. However, every slice of pumpkin pie or piece of turkey at Thanksgiving is accompanied by an awkward question or comment made by a family member. Here are 10 uncomfortable situations that you are most likely going to encounter on Thanksgiving.
1. Being forced to sit at the kid’s table
Even though you are a college student in your late teens/early twenties and definitely should not be considered a child, your family insists that you sit at the kids table every Thanksgiving so they can have “adult talk.”
2. Asking if you’re still single
Every year I get asked this question and every year it is the same answer…yes, yes, and yes. Don’t even bother asking if I’m still single next year because the answer will most likely be the same!
3. Asking about your grades
How is your GPA? Do you have an internship yet? Are you ready for finals? These questions almost always make an appearance during the Thanksgiving table conversation. Blatantly stating that you are on a verge of a mental breakdown every week is not very reassuring to your relatives, so settling with “classes are going well” is probably your best bet.
4. Trying to relate to college party life
Even though many of your relatives’ lives as college students are long gone, they still try to relate to the college party scene and proudly boast about the crazy parties they attended “back in the day.”
5. Saying you look so old even though you saw them a couple of months ago
Despite the fact that you spent time with some of your relatives over Fall Break, they insist that you’ve grown so much since you last saw them.
6. Judging your major and future life endeavors
Constantly getting the criticism that “you wont make any money with that major” even though you never asked for their opinion in the first place.
7. Bringing up embarrassing things you did as a kid
Digging up your dark past of adolescent mistakes to kindly share with your entire family is very common and just as equally mortifying. So glad everyone gets humor out of my misery!
8. Talking about politics
This is by far the worst out of all the uncomfortable Thanksgiving situations. The only easy way to avoid an all out family brawl in this scenario is to pour some more wine into your glass and keep your mouth shut. 9. Watching football all day
You are completely out of luck if you don’t like football considering it will be playing on the TV from the moment you walk through the door until the moment you leave.
10. Having to try everyone’s dish even if you don’t want to
Even if you know for a fact that you don’t like green bean casserole or cranberry sauce, it is only polite to try at least a little of everyone’s dish at the table—no matter how difficult it may be.
Even though these Thanksgiving encounters are sometimes tedious and a bit awkward, I look forward to them every year because Thanksgiving is about spending time with family and all of the awkward questions that come with it. And quite honestly, I wouldn’t want it any other way!