Emily Mulcahey
Opinion Editor
Thanksgiving: a day to appreciate (especially if we’ve been away from home) finally seeing our families to eat some delicious grub and to be thankful for what we have.
But, with Black Friday starting before dinner time, Christmas just around the corner and whatever the family feud of the week is, it doesn’t often pan out the way we’d like it to.
We spend so much time worrying about logistics, about wondering whether fighting through the mall at midnight is worth the outcome, about what our loose-tongued grandfather is going to say to our cousin’s new girlfriend and just genuinely stressing about every detail. We forget what the day is really about.
Honestly, I couldn’t care less about the food (okay, I care a little about the food), or the shopping deals or any of the other nonsense. Having an eight-hour drive from my home-away-from-home here at Bonas to my home in New Hampshire, Thanksgiving is usually the first time I see my family for three months. For me, truly nothing else matters than spending every waking moment with my favorite people on earth.
We tend to hear this same speech 1,000 times during the holidays, but we never actually grasp the concept. I only have since being in school because after a few months away from home, I started to actually realize the difference between the things that matter and the ones that really don’t.
With so much hatred and badness in the world, isn’t it our privilege, our obligation, to remember how lucky we are to have all of the things we hold dear to us?
Parents: your college-aged kids don’t actually care about your cooking skills (or lack of), or about your annoying brothers and sisters that will undoubtedly be attending dinner or about whatever you can or can’t afford for Christmas. They care about being with you, and yes, they care about your money for gas and Dunkins.
To my peers: take it easy on your parents. Answer every single “What are you majoring in?” “Are you dating anyone?” and “What are your plans for after graduation?” with a smile on your face and your tongue removed from your cheek. Help out, wash the dishes, and put your phone down. Appreciate the people around you. Be thankful.
This holiday season, don’t let Hallmark’s interpretation of celebrating ruin the real celebration.
mulcahek12@bonaventure.edu
