I Love My Family’s Lowkey Thanksgiving Meal

​Thanksgiving aka the day where your healthy eating regiment goes out the window is almost here. 

For my mom and I that means finalizing our Thanksgiving menu, grocery shopping and deciding our tablescape. One might think that my family is hosting a huge thanksgiving meal at our house but it’ll just be the four of us: myself, my parents and my older brother. It’s been that way for a few years and I wouldn’t want to have it any other way.
 
For some people spending Thanksgiving with a bunch of family members can be filled with drama and cringe-worthy moments. Whether it’s the interrogating questions about how college is going and your dating life to heated political debates, sometimes the turkey can’t get on the table soon enough. 

​​But with my immediate family it’s never like that. The only arguments that happen in my house on Thanksgiving are with my brother and my dad who go back and forth about which football team is going to win the game. I think this is primarily why my family and I to stay at home during Thanksgiving because it’s less stressful for logistical reasons and we can truly relax during that weekend.
 
Don’t get me wrong I wouldn’t be opposed to going to a extended family member’s house during Thanksgiving in the future but I tend to be more comfortable and enjoy the day more when I’m at home with my immediate family.
 
As far as the meal goes my mom and I do all of the cooking the day before and the day of. It’s much easier to coordinate our menu when it’s the two of us cooking rather than having twenty people crammed in the kitchen trying to make their contribution to the meal. Also, we don’t have to worry about sitting through heavy traffic with the smell of roasted turkey, mac and cheese, candied yams and collard greens (just to name a few) tempting us in the car. And as corny as it might sound there’s something really magical about cooking holiday meals in your own kitchen with the smell of food and making memories.
 
With such busy lives it’s rare for all four of us to sit down and have a meal together. I’m away in college, my brother has a full-time career and my parents still work. So on Thanksgiving it’s especially important for us to celebrate each other and be thankful for being a tight-knit family unit. 

​Spend the holidays with people that won’t add any additional stress to the equation. This Thanksgiving I’m looking forward to slowing down and taking the time to enjoy the simple things in life. ​

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Written By Alexandria Brooks

My name is Alexandria Brooks. I'm a junior journalism major who is passionate and curious about the world. When I'm not writing I'm probably making a latte or endlessly scrolling through Instagram. One I hope to have my own creative platform to showcase my writing and photography!