Why Thanksgiving is My Favorite Holiday

By Sami Dugdale
Blog Content Contributor

Thanksgiving is coming up here in just over a week, which will give us the break that we need and deserve before finals. This is going to be my first Thanksgiving break in college and I can honestly say that I am more excited for it than I have ever been before.

When I was a kid, Christmas was obviously my favorite holiday just because I got presents–toys or whatever bizarre thing I asked for that year. But now as an adult, well, “adult,” I have come to realize that my favorite holiday is actually Thanksgiving for many reasons.

First, the food. My family is a classic example of West Texas rednecks, but we also have a lot of family from Galveston who run a seafood business. I have grown up eating some of the best seafood and everyone in my family is an amazing cook. My grandma makes her seafood gumbo, one of my aunts brings several different kinds of broiled shrimp, and another one of my aunts brings at least six different types of pies. I know everyone says that the food is the best part about Thanksgiving, but my family is next level.

Second, watching the Cowboys game with my uncles. I can truthfully tell you that not only do I not know anything about football, but I just don’t care about it. However, I watch the game in the living room with my uncles anyway. This is solely because they’re all on the same nerd spectrum as me. My immediate family (my sister and mom) and my friends aren’t as passionate about certain things as I am, so I never really have anyone to talk about my favorite shows and movies with. But when I watch the Cowboys game with my uncles, we end up talking about all kinds of movies and shows and Game of Thrones theories. I always look forward to spending time with my uncles and just nerding out.

Lastly, and really the most important reason, is seeing my family. If you can’t already tell, I have a pretty large family. My mom has seven brothers and sisters and I have a grand total of 15 cousins. Since we’re so large, we’re all kind of spread out. Some live in New York, some live in Illinois, some are in Oklahoma, and some are here in Texas, so it’s pretty rare when we’re all together in the same place. That’s why I love Thanksgiving. I get to see all the people I love most, even if it’s just for one day a year.

Featured image courtesy of Sami Dugdale.