Hot take: pumpkin pie just isn’t that good.
I believe Thanksgiving is the most underrated holiday of the year. Nestled between Halloween and Christmas, “turkey day” is often overshadowed by the incessant desire to grab a peppermint mocha and listen to Mariah Carey. Maybe it’s because I don’t celebrate Christmas or maybe I just love an excuse to cook, but I will always argue that Thanksgiving needs more hype.
My parents and I have established long-lasting Thanksgiving morning traditions that really help to elevate the excitement. Step one: bagels. Being a long island Jew, a good bagel is something I take very seriously. I’m not exactly sure why this has become my Thanksgiving breakfast of choice, but I am forever grateful for it. Step two: hot chocolate. Nothing signifies the fall to winter transition more than a hot drink on a cozy morning. Step three (arguably the most important step): Put on the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Something about seeing people bundled up on the streets of NYC, listening to holiday music, and watching the most random of performances puts me in the best mood. Sure, it’s a little cheesy but it’s amazing background noise at the very least. Commercial breaks are also the perfect time to start some Black Friday shopping.
For a long time, my main highlight of the parade has been the Broadway performances. Since the Great White Way went dark in March of 2020, the world has felt a little emptier and a lot less magical. Reopening Broadway has proved to be a challenge. Aladdin, for example, quickly closed just a day after reopening due to Covid cases back in late September. For these reasons, I am so excited to see Moulin Rouge! and Six finally get a chance to shine during this year’s parade.
As I mentioned before, I personally do my Black Friday shopping on Thanksgiving morning. I’m not dedicated enough to go in-person, but the online deals are often just as great. Etsy is easily my favorite place to shop around when I’m bored or procrastinating doing homework. My cart is often filled with things I have “favorited” over the past few months and it’s likely that many of these items will be discounted around the holiday season. Shopping small is not only more sustainable, but it’s incredibly fun as well.
To say Thanksgiving 2020 was a bit of a disappointment is an understatement. The whole day felt oddly quiet and lifeless. Cooking a whole dinner for three people felt pointless, so my parents and I bought a “Thanksgiving” package from a local restaurant. It was good, but can anything really compare to Grandma’s cooking? The only really interesting thing I did that entire day was read Harry Styles’ Vogue cover story and take selfies with my parents. Hopefully this year will begin to look a little bit more normal.
If you can’t already tell, I’m pretty close with my family. Being away at college for the past few months has been really hard. Between juggling my busy schedule and learning to live on my own, feeling connected to my family has been a bit of a challenge. This makes Thanksgiving break this year even more special because it will be my first time back with the people (and dog) I miss most. College has been fun, but a trip home is just what I need to recharge and reset.
And sure, I am also pretty excited for the food itself. I’ve grown to like most Thanksgiving food, and I enjoy making it as well. I’m sure the tradition of it all has some influence, but I’ll probably always be partial to potatoes.
All jokes aside, I’m just extremely grateful to know that I can spend safe, quality time with my family this Thanksgiving.
What are you thankful for this year?