How To Have a Great Thanksgiving Break

While our mental calendars may be counting down to Harvard-Yale (less than two weeks!), it is impossible to forget that The Game marks the beginning of one of the best weeks of fall semester - Thanksgiving Week. Even though Yale gets its revenge on Harvard each year by not having classes the entire week, we’re still #blessed to have a two-day week, and many professors cancel lectures and sections due to low student turnout. For those students not headed home for the holiday, Flyby is here to help you make some last-minute plans with your roommate/bestie/anyone that will take you in or is in the same position.

Schmooze the Roommate
If you didn’t make time to play nice with the visiting parents and siblings over Freshman Parents Weekend, it’s time to win over your roommate (even if you loathe them at this point in the semester.) Pick up your dirty laundry, buy some nice cheese and crackers for the common room, and maybe even make your bed for the first time since Freshman Week. Start feigning some curiosity about what life is like in the suburbs of Boston and use your hallway kitchen to practice baking your favorite pie. A delicate lattice is sure to win over your roommate’s parents!

New York City
Rally the troops (troops = all your fellow Thanksgiving non-travelers), hop on the Megabus (or Amtrak if you’re feeling fancy), and lose yourself in the concrete jungle. Be sure you’re there for Thursday so you can wake up at 3am and catch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in-person. Nothing like massive Snoopy and Spongebob balloons and an appearance by Santa Claus to brighten your chilly morning. Make sure once you consume your body weight in Pillsbury Crescents and mashed potatoes, you hit up one of the city’s parties to dance off your newly discovered fat rolls.

Thanksgiving on Campus
Your dinner doesn’t need a 30-pound turkey or all the fixings, but take some time after Harvard-Yale (fun fact, did you know that Yale students call it “Yale-Harvard” … hah!) to hop out of the pressure-cooker that is Harvard’s campus and head to a local grocery store before the old lady down the street grabs the last box of instant stuffing off the shelf. Go for an easy bird to tame like a chicken roaster from Whole Foods, or skip the meat all together and just go for your favorite dishes like cranberry mold and pumpkin pie. If all else fails, you’ll still have your $3 bottles of wine from Trader Joe’s.