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The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at TAMU chapter.

As a junior in college, the fact that this past Thanksgiving was my first time not spent with family in my hometown is kind of surprising. 

It’s definitely quite common for many college students not to go home every holiday or break that universities give for a ton of different reasons. For me, however, I live less than two hours from my family, so I visit them WAY more than the average college student. I love visiting back home on the weekends, even if it’s only for like a day and a half. There’s nothing better than getting out of this town, and regressing into a five year old that gets taken care of. My parents also love having me home; I’m super grateful for that. 

But this year our schedules didn’t align, so I just stayed in my college apartment for Thanksgiving break. Being as family-oriented as I am, not seeing my family for a holiday was a weird change. It was a strange melancholic feeling, with a tinge of loneliness. 

Nearly all my friends went home for break, so I was looking at three days spent alone, doing absolutely nothing. Which sounds not-so-long and deceivingly nice after a crazy hectic semester – not to mention, right before finals… but one day in, and I was already over it. I went shopping for both groceries and goodies, worked out, cleaned my room, the whole reset routine, and still left with the whole day in front of me.

The part that hit me the most for some reason, was seeing my entire street empty when we’re all usually competing for a parking spot in front of our townhomes. It felt ominous and altogether somewhat dreary, especially when you add the getting dark at 4:30 PM because of the daylight savings aspect to it.

Luckily I had a friend who at the last minute ended up not going home for the week, and was actually making a mini Thanksgiving dinner. Not to be dramatic, but having her here and having something to look forward to on Thanksgiving, helped me more than she could know. We had a great day of cooking, watching sitcoms, and eating some really yummy food. It was ironically my first real Thanksgiving dinner, with all the traditional fix-ins.

It was remarkable seeing her take the time and effort to make the holiday special despite having no reason to, other than genuine interest in making her day a good one. She wanted to have the proper Thanksgiving and chose to do it herself when given no other option. 

So after this first holiday away from family and the loved ones I usually spend it with, I can understand both sides of it. First off, holidays with family should be loved and cherished cause it won’t always be like that. That particular feeling of the warmth and glow of being home is unmatched. But also, there is something special about making the holiday YOUR own and looking at it as getting to celebrate it how you want. Everyone has to begin somewhere, and it’s one of the aspects of adulting we all have to look forward to, so I’m glad I got a taste of it right now.

Aditi Jakkani is a second-year member of the HER Campus at TAMU chapter. As part of the Events Committee in the chapter, she helps in organizing social events for chapter members. Through these events, the chapter gets the chance to socialize and bond in a more informal environment. Her writing covers personal experiences and recommendations for college students, with a particular focus on Texas A&M students. Apart member for her time spent with HER Campus at TAMU, Aditi is currently a Sophomore General Engineering major at Texas A&M. She works in food service, as a barista at an on-campus Starbucks. Aditi hopes to work within a Technological setting, with a focus on Data Analytics or Cybersecurity, in the future. She treats her articles written for HER Campus as her creative outlet in the midst of her STEM surroundings and considers the discipline and skill derived from writing, valuable in being a well-rounded individual. She has conducted a 7-month long research project, a qualitative correlational analysis study, as the main focus of a high school course. This resulted in a research report discussing the access to environmentally ethical clothing for female adolescents and identified ethical fashion consumption barriers in suburban areas for them. In her free time, Aditi enjoys reading psychological thriller novels and listening to Podcasts. Her workout style of choice is any cardio or reformer Pilates. She enjoys spending time with her family and friends, especially while trying new coffee shops or restaurants. Her perfect day would end snuggled up with her dog, Abby, and hopefully will add a kitten to her life soon!