The newest phenomenon in friend groups around the world has been a rise of a Thanksgiving tradition that happens before the big, family oriented meal itself. For college students, the time before Thanksgiving Break is filled with the last tests and final projects before a much-needed break. It’s a time filled with stress, assignments and, most importantly, the spirit of Thanksgiving. It’s also a time to get together with your loved ones to begin to reflect on the past year. Everywhere around Bucknell, students wait in anticipation for the arrival of Cafsgiving. While Cafsgiving is just one of the many ways in which friends can gather with each other to share a meal and recount good times, it’s definitely the most available option.
When gathered around a Friendsgiving Table, there are certainly topics to steer towards and topics to steer away from. While an open political discourse is a healthy thing for anyone to have, if you find yourself in a politically divided friend group, our recent election might not be the best thing to bring up. However, here are some other fun topics: Your favorite Thanksgiving side dish or the warm weather recently. Seriously, how is it 60 degrees in November? I’m not complaining, but I’m sure the climate change experts are worried.
To revert back to the happy and uplifting topic of side dishes, a first-year at Bucknell, Lila Coleman stated that she believed mashed potatoes are “the worst thing known to man.” She complained that they were “either too lumpy or too smooth. There’s never a good in-between on how mashed they are. Can we please get them right this year?” Dear Lila, at our Friendsgiving, I will do my very best to make some fabulous dorm mashed potatoes. Another student, Bella Rodriguez ’28, disputed Coleman’s claims: “Mashed potatoes are the best side dish. Honestly, there is no bad way to make mashed potatoes. Chunky, smooth, it’s all the same to me. And by the same, I mean delicious.”
Among our list of other contenders, green beans, cornbread, stuffing and sweet potatoes rise to the top of the list. Who knows what meal venue we will take to this Friendsgiving, whether it be the Caf, a ragtag group of dishes from the Bison or if we shall take on the insurmountable challenge of cooking a Thanksgiving meal for five to seven girls in a dorm.
The most important part of Friendsgiving is not the aspect of food, the difficulties of civil discourse or even the worryingly high temperatures. The most important thing to remember at the start of the holiday season is to enjoy the presence of your friends, as it might prove to be the best present of all. While it is an exciting time as Thanksgiving Break grows near, with each day, the time we get to spend with our friends at Bucknell slowly comes to an end. It is imperative that we make the most of this time, try to keep our minds off the growing pile of unfinished Moodle assignments and set a time and place on our Google Calendars for Friendsgiving. So gather your friends, lift your spirits and rejoice in a lovely Friendsgiving meal this year.