by Kate Diuguid ‘22

Thanksgiving, the glorious late-November holiday to feast upon turkey, mashed potatoes, and whatever your family traditions ensue. It is the perfect day to shift the focus off of everything else in your life and dive mouth-first into a big bowl of gratitude. The holiday also serves the purpose of transitioning between that sweet, orange, autumn mood to the cozy winter that houses a sense of holiday cheer. Preparing for a day that is centered around a meal can be a daunting task, so here are 5 ideas of things to do before Thanksgiving arrives.

1. Reach out to your collegiate comrades.

When graduates go to college, they leave a group of friends behind. But luckily, Thanksgiving Break saves the day! All your buddies who bid bon voyage come home to reconnect with friends and family. Hosting a Friendsgiving is a super fun way to get the whole gang back together while your former classmates are in town.

2. Spice up your decor.

Making something for your family’s table doesn’t have to mean buying stuff or putting in a lot of effort in. I like to make a set of super easy DIY place holders for my family’s table. Last year, I simply went outside, grabbed some leaves and autumnal berries, and tied them to the napkins with some gold ribbon. I also included some fake leaves with gold accents that I found in the old decoration boxes and printed out my family’s names to stick to the place holders with tape.

3. Watch the Macy’s Day Parade.

This one isn’t necessarily before Thanksgiving, but it’s before the dinner so let’s pretend it counts. If watching the classic parade of enormous balloons, high school bands, and Broadway performances isn’t already a tradition in your family, it should be. Watching The Rockettes kick their noses in perfect synchronization year after year is something you surely can’t miss.

4.Host a football game for your family and friends.

Having your closest chums over to have a good ol’ game of football is as American as the holiday itself. It gets your heart racing and your body prepared for the decimation it will be participating in later. You get to bond with your friends and family while simultaneously recreating the iconic scene from “Friends.”

5. Make a Black Friday list.

With Turkey Thursday comes Black Friday, the perfect day to get all of your holiday shopping done. With all of the sales, the mall turns to apocalypse mode, which means you’d better show up with an idea of what you’re looking for. Making a simple list before Thanksgiving Day is one less thing you need to worry about for the holiday season.