Thanksgiving will be slightly weird for me this year. My mom is coming into town to have dinner with my brother and me, which leaves us frantically searching to find a restaurant. We used to have a large gathering at my grandma’s house where we’d feast on the traditional dinner – the big turkey, mashed potatoes, and stuffing – but because that tradition is not taking place this year, we’ve had to improvise.

So what are other students doing for Turkey Day this year? I talked to several students and found that while some traditions still stand for the holiday, many people are venturing out of the typical Thanksgiving box.

Senior entrepreneur and finance major Christine Boscacci said that while her family has a basic tradition on Thanksgiving, it is not exactly the typical experience of huge family gatherings with tables adorned with turkey and mashed potato centerpieces.

“I’m having spaghetti,” Boscacci said. “It’s a big Italian one. My dad’s cooking the sauce for three days. We have something different every year. We used to do the whole big, huge family thing, but now we do whatever we want, and just our immediate family.”

Boscacci said she prefers the non-traditional foods, which change from year to year in her family.

Senior child development major Candice Phillips said her plans were changed slightly by a recent surgery her mother had, and now her family will have dinner at her uncle’s house. She said her aunt traveled to Sacramento from Washington last weekend, and the airport was already packed.

She said the fact that many teachers are canceling classes makes it easier for those who must travel to leave town early.

“Half of my classes are canceled on Wednesday, so I could see leaving early if you only have to skip a day,” Phillips said.

Junior history major Ryan Hall said his theory on busy airports is that because Thanksgiving is such an “all-American holiday,” many people celebrate it and travel to see their families. Christmas, on the other hand, is not observed by all ethnic groups in the United States, so there might not be so many people traveling, he said.

Hall is traveling to Las Vegas with his parents and girlfriend for Thanksgiving.

“Basically…it’s just to take a vacation,” he said. “My parents are travel agents…they just like to take vacations a lot of the time. We’re talking about getting a meal at a supermarket or just going out to one of the casinos and going to…a Thanksgiving buffet.”

Hall said he is excited about the trip, because he has not been to Sin City since he was about 10 years old. The group has several plans for the five-day trip.

“We’re going to go see the ‘Love’ show, the Beatles’ ‘Love’ show, and maybe go to a few clubs,” he said. “We might go see the Hoover Dam. I guess it’s kind of a special opportunity.”

Hall said he heard there are some outlet stores there and laughed about how those would probably mean all-day shopping excursions.

He said most people he’s talked to think it’s odd that he’s going to Las Vegas for Thanksgiving, because most people usually just go home to see family. But he’s happy with traveling somewhere fun with his family, rather than having the traditional holiday gathering.

Ivy Griffin, who is in her first year of the School Counseling Masters Program, will be staying in Sacramento with her fiance for Thanksgiving this year.

“I moved here…last September, and this is my second Thanksgiving on my own, just my fiance and me,” Griffin said. “We’re both from Tennessee.”

Griffin said she will not be with the rest of her family on Thanksgiving, because her parents don’t fly. She’s waiting for Christmas to visit them. The trip back to her home state is too expensive and time-consuming to visit on both holidays. So, she is trying her hand at making a traditional Thanksgiving meal on her own this year. She is slightly worried about making her mother’s salad dressing recipe, because her mother is not being very specific with directions. Still, she feels a sense of pride at being on her own.

“It feels very grown-up not to go home to family,” she said.

What will your Thanksgiving experiences be like this year? What traditions will you make and break?

Bridget Jones can be reached at [email protected].