Nearly a week has passed since Thanksgiving, and I’m certain I speak for the majority in asserting that with the start of classes, it feels as though it has already been at least five. Let’s have a moment of reflection on that day (or week) when life was just that much more simple. As cliché as it sounds, what is the meaning of Thanksgiving? Ask anyone off the street, and they will most likely patch together the abbreviated, nebulous textbook answer of a story of Pilgrims, Native Americans, the overcoming of adversity, friendship and of course, sharing and gratitude. If you can string these words along into a meaningfully constructed account and can draw a turkey by tracing your hand, you know the history of Thanksgiving; understanding it, however, is something made possible only by partaking in the tradition in some manner. What makes Thanksgiving such an exceptional and unique holiday is not only the nature of the story (how it plays into and speaks to popular perceptions of a national character, etc.), but also the sense that the holiday has ultimately remained true to its origins. Naturally, individual celebratory customs vary in large degree, but the essence of Thanksgiving is preserved — good food enjoyed in good company, be it friends or family.

For those who remained on campus over the break, the College offered a schedule of activities ranging from a movie night at Amherst Cinema to a game and movie night in the Charles Drew common room. Many, however, took their own initiative to generate amusement. Timothy Boateng ’13 “had a pretty fun experience staying on campus for break” because he and his fellow North Dormitory residents “came up with the idea that we should each pick one activity for everyone to do each day. So for example, we hiked Mt. Norwottuck, went to Amherst Chinese and tried to go to a Thai restaurant.” They also caught up on both old film classics and some degree of schoolwork. On Thanksgiving Day, Amherst offered a full Thanksgiving meal “with all the trimmings” in Lewis-Sebring Commons for those who had pre-registered. Some spent Thanksgiving at the homes of their advisors, and still others created their own ideal manner of Thanksgiving fare. Jasper Evans-Clock ’13, found gratitude in the simplicity of his ideal meal — “I have never been more thankful for the food! As much pie as I could eat (with no main course requirements!) and some delicious instant noodles.”

Thanksgiving has remained true to its tradition through its comparative lack of commercialization. While it may be true that for some it is the Macy’s Day parade and the bargains of “Black Friday” (rather than Squanto, human generosity or men with abnormally large shoe buckles) which come immediately to mind, Thanksgiving has managed to eschew the deleterious effects of commercialization and modern mass consumer culture. Carolin Callauch, a teaching assistant from Göttingen, Germany notes, “Thanksgiving is not as commercial as Christmas, which I like … I had heard of Thanksgiving … but I didn’t know it was such a big holiday. For some people it’s even bigger than Christmas, and in Germany Christmas is the biggest holiday ... I would really like to have a holiday like that [in Germany] where you see your whole family and spend time together.”

The unique nature of Thanksgiving lies perhaps in its preserved sense of authenticity and the feeling that, so long as one is in good company with good food, the “propriety” with which the day is celebrated is of no consequence. Without going so far as to say that staying at Amherst over a vacation is the equivalent of living in 17th century Plymouth, it seems as though the students who stayed on campus experienced the essence of a true Thanksgiving. The experience of Florian Gargaillo, a French language assistant, serves as a testament to the unique and rare, preserved nature of Thanksgiving.

“After seeing countless Thanksgiving celebrations in films and television shows back home in France, I did not have a clue how my first ‘real’ Thanksgiving would go. As it turned out, there were a dozen of us sitting around the table and what struck me immediately was just how diverse the get-together was for this most American of holidays — only two were of American nationality, and most of the others were either foreign-born students or language assistants like me. And despite never having experienced Thanksgiving before, the entire table became quiet, nervous, and emotional when we began taking turns listing all the things we were thankful for. At that moment, even the most cynical of us who had been grumbling about ‘commercial holidays’ and ‘too many potatoes’ stuttered and stumbled through our short speeches. Whatever happened at that table that night — I am still not sure what it is — made for the purest holiday experience of my life.”