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Is Thanksgiving really a break?

It’s that time of the year again. The ignored middle child that is Thanksgiving is here for its 15 minutes of fame sitting between Halloween and Christmas.

This is the much needed pre-finals sabbatical we find ourselves crawling towards after weeks of tests, projects and assignments. These five days come fully packed with more food and small talk than anyone needs, but is also full of things to look forward to.

For example, it’ll be fun going from leaving your room at midnight for late night #socollege adventures to asking permission to leave the house after dinner.

Your tolerance might be a little lower coming back to campus after a five-day detox if you aren’t actually 21, but if you are of age, homework might not be the only thing you need a break from.

Then there’s the relative who you can’t quite trace back in the family tree, but always points out how much you’ve grown when in reality, they’re the one getting smaller.

Shout out to the family friend that brings up the current state of the economy to the soon to be graduate already buried deep in cover letters and LinkedIn connections.

The word “break” is loosely used because the work due the day you get back can’t all be accomplished Sunday night.

Don’t forget to pack 17 outfits for mom’s approval even though you’ll wear one in the comfort of your own dining room for your 4:00 Thanksgiving dinner, and the same Bradley sweatshirt every other day.

Who can forget the “Look who’s alive” comments your family will make when you stroll out of your room at 11:00 a.m.?

Just hours after going around the table giving thanks, things get messy and the claws come out. It’s every man for himself when it comes to Black Friday sales, which is a race to make a dent on your holiday shopping list. There’s nothing like bonding with your neighbors through a friendly game of tug-of-war over a 60-inch TV.

There’s something magical about this time of year and the treacherous weather that comes with it. My advice is to try to make the most out of these five days because returning to campus means finals are near and there might not be as much time to get your grades up as you think.

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