The Thanksgiving That Wasn’t

Image Credit: Fredrik Alpstedt

During my freshman year of college I spent Thanksgiving alone. I don’t recall why it happened – my parents were traveling or something and my older sister was likely invited to eat at her best friend’s house, a tradition that started in high school. Her friend’s father owned an Italian restaurant in Chicago you see, and each year the Thanksgiving celebration at his home in Boulder was epic and somehow my sister got jumped in. However, she was always home with us by the time mom rolled out our desserts.

I had told my family that year not to worry about me, that I’d stay in Tucson. It was no biggie.

Fast forward to 11:00 p.m. on Thanksgiving night. My dinner had been a bucket of KFC and had, to my surprise, been satisfying as hell, but then I had forgotten about dessert, my favorite part. I then suddenly realized there was no pie and ice cream for me and my sister, no espresso for mom and no Port for dad. Most importantly, there was no sister or mom or dad. No comfy, post Thanksgiving dinner conversation with my pops, and no ability to snuggle as a family on the couch in front of a fire and watch football, or read or whatever.

It is why at 11:00 p.m. on that Thanksgiving night I was passed out drunk next to an empty liter of Tequila, a small bottle of Tabasco Sauce and my roommate’s aquarium full of deadly little scorpions.

I had literally Prairie-Fired myself to sleep, to mask my pain of being alone on a holiday that really only matters because of family. The food, imo, is what it is. The company, however, is what makes the food matter. This year, hopefully you have a nice nuclear family that you can clamp down with and cuddle with after a nice dinner. If you are alone like I was that fateful night in Tucson, I might have a few suggestions:

Image Credit: Nicholas Eckhart

1. Seriously, KFC is not a bad choice. Chicken, btw, is so much better than Turkey, plus when you get a KFC bucket you also get mashed potatoes and gravy. Thanksgiving!
2. Stay away from the Tequila and Tabasco combo
3. Visit the weed store and maybe go for something different than you are used to this time around? Perhaps some edibles? Or some RSO?

Either way, don’t feel too alone. There are millions of people around the country doing the exact same thing! Just feel the vibe of those folks and chill.