It may seem early, but Thanksgiving will come sooner than you think (especially if you are a turkey). I know it’s just a couple days off school and more incentive to eat uncontrollably, but if you don’t plan ahead, you might find yourself coming back to more disarray than your chaotic family gatherings could ever compare to.
We’ve put together a list of a few steps you can take right now to make sure that your Thanksgiving gets Thanks-going off to a good start. (Don’t worry: the first one isn’t to come up with better word play than the last sentence.)
Make Sure You Have Somewhere To Go (That Ends In Food)
By definition, Thanksgiving is all about giving thanks, usually surrounded by your loved friends and family as you gorge on a copious amount of calories that you can deal with tomorrow. But not everyone has easy access to an instant family get-together, so a little planning comes into play.
The best course of action is probably to go home and spend this time with your family, but if that isn’t an option, you have many other choices. Maybe you go to school halfway around the country, or your family suddenly deserted you and moved to Europe (it happens).
Chances are, though, that you know someone who is in the same boat as you. Start asking around to find friends that are also Thanksgiving-less and make plans with them, or maybe snag an invite to someone else’s family dinner. Or, if you absolutely have no one else, ensure that your own fridge is well stocked with your favorite Thanksgiving food. You will have to eat through the loneliness, after all.
Find Out Exactly How Much Time You Have Off
Schools are legally required to give you that Thursday and Friday off, but make sure you know if you have any more time than that. It may sound foolish, but some classes actually want to meet on the Wednesday before, despite a class-size that is one-quarter of the size.
You might just miss the class anyway, but make sure your professor has made it clear whether or not you are needed on Wednesday. Same goes for your job. If you have a campus job, you might not need to come in on Wednesday, or you might have to work on the weekend after Thanksgiving. It’s up to you to figure it out!
Draw Up A To Do List To Accomplish Before Break
As I said before, these couple weeks zip by, and I’m sure there are a lot of things you need to take care of. You don’t want to be getting off the flight in your hometown and realize that you didn’t turn in that essay or left the propane tank next to the lit oven (this also happens).
Plan out exactly what you need to get done before your break. This can include everything from academic-related projects or simple household things like making sure you don’t leave your heat on full-blast.
Know What You Will Be Doing With Your Time Off
I know, the answer to this is most likely “spend time with your family,” but what does that entail in your mind? Sitting around watching football, or bungee jumping?
It may not seem important, but it’s a good idea to establish exactly what these days will consist of. For many students, Thanksgiving is one of the only times they are back with their families, and it would be dumb to waste that time doing something that both you and your family will regret.
Thanksgiving (and the day after, most likely) will probably only consist of eating, recovering, and repeat, but what about the weekend? Or the night before? Those days shoot by quickly, so figure it out now.
You still might be thinking that you don’t need to worry about Thanksgiving break, that you’ll have all the time in the world before that turkey is cut. But before you know it, December will be here, and you’ll want these weeks back. However, if you do these things, you’ll at least be a little bit more ready.
