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With Thanksgiving (and its long-awaited break) right around the corner, I’m sure everyone is excited to take a breather from schoolwork, eat some good food, and perhaps even go home to spend time with loved ones. Everyone spends the holiday a little differently. Here are some ways the staff of “The Student Movement” celebrate it!

Alyssa Henriquez, Editor-in-Chief
Most years, we drive to New York to visit my Dominican family. My aunt cooks food until her kitchen is overflowing, and a mix of friends, family, and community members gather in her foyer to have dinner. The dishes range from classic thanksgiving food to tostones and platanos maduros. There is always a big spread of desserts near the middle of the room, which also includes a mix of dishes from pumpkin pie to Dominican cake. We eat late in the day and stay up talking for hours afterwards. The event is cheerful, loud, and full of laughter. 

Scott Moncrieff, Faculty Advisor
When I was younger I used to watch the football game. Aunt Betty’s stuffing–awesome. Mashed potatoes swimming in gravy. The only time of the year I have cranberry sauce. Minimal amount of vegeturkey. If a vegeturkey had wings, it still wouldn’t be able to get off the ground. Strictly a land animal. Two pieces pumpkin pie with whipped topping. Run the Niles YMCA 10K in the morning; it justifies later gastronomic excesses. The best part is the feeling that I don't have to accomplish a blessed thing for this one day, and can just hang out with family and friends.

Lyle Goulbourne, Ideas Editor
The preferred Thanksgiving traditions for my family are to gorge on food (especially a German chocolate cake), cheer or mourn Michigan’s inevitable loss to Ohio State, read the latest issue of the Student Movement at www.andrews.edu/life/student-movement, and ask us cousins whether we have found a significant other.

Megan Napod, A&E Editor
My family never fails to come together and curate the best meal of my year on Thanksgiving. A moist turkey, classic green bean casserole, the meatiest spaghetti (not sweet like the Filipino kind), pancit palabok–and more! I have a large family and no one fails to leave my cousin’s house stuffed and happy. I’m sad that I won’t be there this year to hear the unmistakable laughs of my aunties and see my newborn nieces and nephews, but I’m thankful for the assurance that I will be at the next one.
Same place, Filipino time, cause it’s never an exact time with us.

Alannah Tjhatra, Pulse Editor
Any long weekend is an opportunity for my family to get together and eat some good food. Very often, because of my background, it’s Asian food. Whether we have hot pot, mi fen (rice noodles), or nasi goreng (Indonesian fried rice), I always end up with a full stomach and a full heart. It’s always nice to see all my relatives as we catch up and play games together. The night is often capped off with a movie or a good conversation that lasts into the early hours of the morning.

Taylor Uphus, Humans Editor
In my family, Thanksgiving Day begins with an early morning of cooking in the kitchen with my mom and sister.  By lunch time everyone in my family has arrived, gathered around the table to share what they are thankful for and dig into the amazing meal.  However, we don’t stay gathered around the table long, as everyone migrates to the living room to watch the football games and check our fantasy stats.  Later, in the evening my dad gathers us all outside to begin our “National Lampoon’s Christmas” light decorating and setting up the Christmas tree. 

Abigail Lee, News Editor
Thanksgiving is a total production at my house. Not only do I have 16 cousins on my dad’s side and 7 on my mom’s, I am also surrounded by a family of amazing home cooks; we really like to go all out. Two turkeys—one baked, the other fried—and sides aplenty including multiple Korean dishes because how could we not. No one leaves our house hungry. With COVID cancelling our usual massive gathering (for good reasons) this year brings forth the opportunity for us to gather once again and we’re going to be making up for a lot of lost time and a lot of lost meals.
(Also, sometimes Thanksgiving lands on my birthday. It doesn’t usually change anything but it’s fun when it happens).

Lily Burke, Copy Editor
In my family, we all typically spend the first part of Thanksgiving Day either accidentally incincerating or miraculously creating various favorite foods, such as homemade vegan turkey (believe it or not, our recipe doesn’t have a single bit of tofu in it) which we enjoy together at a big family dinner in the early evening. An exciting Thanksgiving tradition my family started several years ago is that once the sun goes down Thanksgiving evening, we do fire breathing in the backyard to usher in the holiday season. I’ll warn you now, isopropyl alcohol does not taste good. I believe that embracing the anticipation is an integral part of enjoying any event, and Thanksgiving really begins the anticipation for Christmas and the New Year beyond. Because of the family-focused and anticipatory nature of Thanksgiving, I think it is my favorite of the 'ber' month holidays.

Kurt Kuhlman, Website Editor
My family’s Thanksgiving traditions have changed as I’ve grown older, but as with most people, they have always been focused around the family. Before I came to Andrews, my family would spend Thanksgiving either at my grandparents’ house near where we lived in Collegedale, or at my aunt’s house in Oklahoma. Both of my parents have six siblings, so family gatherings are no joke. However, since I’ve been at Andrews, our Thanksgiving celebrations have been here in Michigan, mainly because the rest of my family got the entire week off for Thanksgiving, while we here at Andrews get the second half, so it was easier for them to travel up here than it was for me to go anywhere. Luckily for us, I also have a lot of family that live up here, so we would go over to my great-aunt and -uncle’s house and celebrate with them and their children and grandchildren and other members of my extended family.