Thanksgiving Alone

Now this is gonna be weird.

This year is going to be the first year I'd be spending a new holiday - Thanksgiving. As if it was not enough that I am proving to be one socially inept individual in this side of the world, someone just had to put a family holiday on my calendar and make my already very limited social life even worse.

As you probably know, I am by myself abroad and I have no idea of what Thanksgiving means. So I Google.

As I typed the words in, I felt a big "loser" sign appear on my forehead. But, what the heck, I am clueless. I felt that I needed to educate myself because all I know is that Thanksgiving equals turkey - and, no matter how hard I try, I don't like turkey. I typed in "Thanksgiving Alone" which, I think, should make sense because that's what it is; I am alone on Thanksgiving, period. I was very surprised with the search results. I was not alone "alone" after all.

Thanksgiving for One - More Fun Than You Think provides suggestions on how one person can spend the night by oneself. I read through the list and found myself laughing. Bowling, right... Paintball, laser tag, right.... Haha. The "loser" sign on my forehead just got bigger. I don't care - I am doing my research.

Then there's Spending Thanksgiving Alone - How To Cope. Much like the first article, this provides tips on how to get through this holiday sane. The best advice that I got is to "think twice before you call home". And this actually made me wonder because last I checked, I am pretty sure my family back home is as oblivious to Thanksgiving as I am. Hmmm.

But what really got to me was this site: "Has Anyone Spent Thanksgiving Alone?". Someone actually had the courage to ask the question that I am now pretty sure a lot of single (and alone) people have in mind. As I read through the responses, some from years back, I felt something different. It was then when I realized, I was not like them.

Thanksgiving is not my holiday; it does not mean anything to me just yet. Some people say that it's just a day when people thank those who have been part of their lives in the last year. I guess there's nothing wrong with that, maybe I will. I am guessing that Thanksgiving is like Valentine's - a holiday that I don't really need to celebrate to survive but if I do get to celebrate it, then it should be fine.

But, I think Christmas this year will be a different story - this is my holiday. It has always been my family holiday since I was a kid so yes, I am pretty sure it's gonna be tough this year. I have been told that Christmas is not as big as Thanksgiving in the States but I am sure I'm gonna be alright. I have to be. After all, I have a few more weeks to prepare.

Oh, I can just see myself on December 24th: I'll be online and typing, "Christmas Alone". Now, that should be more weird. And yes, my friends, "Christmas Alone" a different blog post altogether.

Blogger's Note: I actually have three Thanksgiving dinner invites, as I type this post. Sadly, none of them feels right. I don't know why. So, I might just end up at home prepping for the crazy shopping experience that begins when the clocks strikes 12 midnight, Black Friday. Hopefully, all the swiping that would happen would compensate for all the pity looks (and comments) I have to endure.