Thanksgiving is easily the most delicious and complicated holiday. It is a time for family, weird extended family and perhaps some odd stragglers to come together, air out their dirty laundry and express gratitude. Now, this break comes at a crucial time as it is ever so necessary to get off this construction site we call a college and return to our homes and some rough family dynamics we were eager to escape.
Illustration by Annie Blackman
Thanksgiving Break is among the most welcome of breaks at Kenyon – it’s neither too long nor too short, and you go home with the express purpose of petting your animals and seeing your families. Not to mention, eating a lot of food. We asked our first years to reflect on their very first Thanksgiving Break at college. Yay! Continue reading
Ah, Thanksgiving. The great American tradition that began in 1637, as pilgrims celebrated the murder of 700 Natives, and has now evolved into a Pinterest-recipe, burnt orange colored, festive twine-based, pumpkin fetishized, gorge-fest. But, for first year college students across the country, Thanksgiving mostly means the first time visiting home in three months. Being away from home for the first time makes you realize how much you took for granted. There are obvious things, like home cooked meals, good wifi, or hugs from your parents, but I urge you to dig deeper. This Thanksgiving, make the most of the teeny tiny things you once took for granted.
For first-years going home for Thanksgiving Break, the first Thanksgiving home can be enormously exciting but also nerve-wracking. You haven’t been home since either August or October if you went home for fall break, and you likely haven’t seen your high school friends since you all left for college with teary eyes and packed cars. A lot changes in three months. Perhaps you got a new piercing, have a significant other, party more, or party less. College is a time of incredible growth, but with growth comes change, and there is no other time more poignant than the first Thanksgiving Break to realize and feel that change. We asked our upperclassmen writers a few questions about their first break home.
What were your expectations going into your first Thanksgiving home?
Literally all I cared about was hugging my mom. I don’t remember having any grand expectations or anything. I just wanted to hug my mom (and dad and sister) and have some time away from school.
Road trips are one of my favorite parts of going to school in Ohio (sorry, I know it’s bad for the environment but gotta live man). With that, I grant you some tunes to mellow your road rage and others keep you awake for the long drive home. And if you don’t have a long trip home then you can just leave. Continue reading
The Kenyon Thrill 