Tag Archives: Thanksgiving

November 10, 2012

Thanksgiving

Filed under: College Life, Food, Seasonal Celebrations, Social Life/Relationships, Tips, Volunteering and Giving Back - Angelina
Tags: ,

Bailey Buckingham Blogger Bio

 

 

 

 

Not going home for Thanksgiving? Not a problem. I’ve been through this several times over the years, so I’m going to share a few things I’ve done to make sure that my holiday was still great! Nothing can make you stop missing your family, but there are a few things you can do to make sure you’re not just sitting on the couch watching TV all day stuck at school!

Orange Thanksgiving Pumpkin Decoration

Photo © Mike Cohn

1. Invite Friends For Dinner

I did this a few years ago, and it turned out to be one of my favorite Thanksgiving’s! At this point in my life, I had NO idea how to cook a turkey so, I bought an already cooked turkey! Who cares where it comes from? I know that I didn’t have to have a turkey at all, but I wanted to keep with the tradition. It was delicious and my friends really appreciated it! We had so much fun sharing stories about past holidays with our crazy families, and we all enjoyed the time we got to spend together.

2. Volunteer

Last year, I decided to find a shelter that was serving dinner to the homeless! I figured, if I couldn’t be served turkey, then I’ll serve it to someone else! It was probably the most rewarding time I’ve ever spent. It really put into perspective the essence of THANKSgiving. Not only was I spending time with amazing people, I was doing my part for my new community. Sometimes all it takes is little reminders to turn your attitude around, and volunteering can definitely do that!

3. Find A Walk/Run

There are ALWAYS charity runs or walks going on Thanksgiving day, I promise. I’ve never done one before, but I’ve heard about them in every city I’ve lived in. This year will be my first, and yes, I am totally dressing up like a turkey. You get to meet people, have fun, exercise AND you can be silly like me and dress up! I can’t wait!

 

It’s always a bummer when you can go home to see your family for the holidays, but you can’t let that keep you in bed! Get out and celebrate the holiday for what it truly means. Be thankful for who you are, and where you are. Who knows, you could end up having the best Thanksgiving of your life!

Twitt
Add a Comment
Related Posts


November 21, 2011

Trading Textbooks for Turkey: 6 Thanksgiving Feast Foods That Make College Kids Drool

Filed under: College Life - BookRenter Team
Tags: , , , , ,

Ahhhh, Thanksgiving… a break from school, quality time with the fam, catching up with high school pals… bliss!

But we know the real reason you’re excited to go home for Thanksgiving break.

It’s the same reason we’re excited.

The food. The glorious Thanksgiving food.

That mouth-watering, rib-sticking, reason-you-wore-sweatpants-to-the-dinner-table, straight from grandma’s recipe book, “OMG that’s soooooooo gooooooood” home-cooked awesomeness you fantasize about every night in your room, while another cheap “dinner” rotates solemnly in the microwave… tonight a Cup-A-Noodle, or maybe a Hot Pocket, or a bag of popcorn (no judgment).

Whatever it is, it tastes like cardboard and disappointment compared to the Thanksgiving table-scape of your dreams, brimming with all those favorite festive dishes– glistening casseroles, baskets upon baskets of flaky, buttery biscuits, heaps of savory stuffing, colossal mountains of mashed potatoes, a pristine pumpkin pie worthy of a Vogue photo shoot, all piping hot, right out of the oven…

Ryxtdfyeg*s;fdiuhO*&#RTbhksdjnkbv^%U&@TYRKU$TWQGHjnn

Sorry. Had to wipe the drool off the keyboard.

So, yeah. Thanksgiving food. Pretty much the best food ever.

And seeing as Thanksgiving is just around the corner, we could think of no better way to… whet our… appetites… than by collectively drooling fawning over our absolute favorite Thanksgiving foods.

We tapped into the power of our BookRenter Facebook community to get some sweet inspiration with a poll that covered the basics—as well as a wild card “fill in the blank with your fav” option.

Together, the results create the ultimate list of gut-busting guilty pleasures you can chew on this until Thursday afternoon.

Loosen your belt buckle. Here we go.

The Poll:

The Results (Presented in Pumpkin Pie-Chart form)

The Breakdown

  1. Pumpkin Pie. This darling of the Thanksgiving table swept the poll with an impressive 14% stake of our stomachs hearts.
  2. Stuffing. Naturally, a food that totally makes good on its namesake came in second with 13% of votes.
  3. Turkey. Arguably the centerpiece of many a Thanksgiving food scene, this bird took third with 10%.
  4. Mashed potatoes. In all their starchy glory! These taters came in fourth with 7%.
  5. Veggies. Often the unsung hero at the Thanksgiving table (no, potatoes don’t count as “vegetable…) claimed 6% of votes!
  6. Biscuits. We were sort of surprised to learn that these billowy puffs of splendor only pulled at the heartstrings taste buds of 1% of voters!

Not surprisingly, however, that wild card “other” option stole 50% of the show! Obviously, our Facebook friends have delightfully imaginative stomachs.

  • It’s all gravy, baby! Well, it was for 8% of our voters. Whether it’s smothered on side dishes, in its own little bowl to drink like soup or in an IV drip attached to our veins, we loves gravy.
  • Crazy for cranberries! In sauce or slice form, this vibrant, tangy, refreshing addition to the Thanksgiving food family is beloved by at least 7% of voters.

  • All together now! 6% of voters refused to make up their mind and claimed all Thanksgiving foods to be their favorite. And we absolutely love them for that.
  • Candied Yams. These guys nabbed a sweet 4% of votes.
  • Pies, in all their generic and fabulous form. They cut a 4% slice of votes.
  • Sweet potatoes au natural! Orange cousin to the regular ole’ tater nabbed up 4% while sweet potatoes with marshmallows got 3%.
  • Green bean casserole. (I’ve had green bean casserole… it in no way belongs with the “veggies” group.) This dish ate up 3%.
  • Ham. (HAM? I thought it was Turkey Day!) Ham earned a 3% cut.

And last but not least, our 1% stakeholders:

  • Bananas and Jello
  • Chitterlings (pig intestines!)
  • Pancit (a Filipino noodle dish)
  • Strawberry Parfait
  • Sweet Meatballs
  • Egg Nog

There you have it, folks! The top Thanksgiving food items that made the book – the ones that make you, me, and that guy over there drool uncontrollably—whether we’re sitting in our room daydreaming about them, or piling them high on our plate, ready to chow down in t-minus 3, 2, 1…

Still hungry for more Thanksgiving food fun? Check out these other awesome posts to satisfy your craving…

Photo Credit: © Barbara Helgason – Fotolia.com
Photo Credit: © Elenathewise – Fotolia.com

Twitt
Add a Comment
Related Posts


November 15, 2011

Tell Us What You’re Thankful For and You Could Win $500 in Holiday Spending Money!

Filed under: Company Updates, Contests and Promotions - BookRenter Team
Tags: , , , , ,

It’s Thanksgiving season, a great time to ask yourself, “What am I thankful for?” Loving family, awesome friends, good health, your cat who acts more like a dog? Anything that matters to you, tell us what about your life makes you feel especially grateful, and you could win $500 holiday spending money for gifts, that new holiday outfit, traveling home, whatever you want!

In addition, BookRenter will make a $500 donation in the grand prize winner’s name to Second Harvest Food Bank, one of the largest food banks in the nation, providing food to an average of nearly one quarter of a million people each month.

The top three entries with the most “I like your Thanks Given” votes wins the $500 grand prize and two runners-up will receive $250 cash gift cards each.

Have an even warmer Thanksgiving this year!

Submit your “Thanks Given” by November 25th here: http://on.fb.me/v1UlmT

Twitt
Add a Comment
Related Posts


November 22, 2010

Mike’s Top 3 Tips To Maximize Thanksgiving Break on the Cheap

Filed under: College Life - BookRenter Team
Tags: , , , , , , , ,

By BookRenter Mike

By floodllama

The pilgrimage back home for Thanksgiving Break is one of my favorite times of the year. Since, I go to school so far away from home, it’s a great opportunity to catch up with old friends and see my family! That being said, I want to have as much fun as I can this week without spending a ton of money. Check out my top 3 favorite ways to enjoy Thanksgiving break without having to spend any money!

1) Enjoy a delicious home-cooked dinner at home with Family

My fraternity house has a meal plan that enables me to enjoy lunch and dinner four nights at week at a very low cost. Unfortunately, the meal plan food is less than satisfying. One of my favorite parts of Thanksgiving break is enjoying my mom’s home cooking. A family dinner always offers good laughs, plus it’ll help you rejuvenate for the upcoming finals push.

2) Attend a local event such as an High School athletic competition or Performing Arts Event

Often times these events will free or offered at very little cost to your wallet. These events will help you catch up with old friends and help you rediscover what makes home so special. Plus, there’s nothing better than watching your alma mater beat up on your local rival on the way to the state championship!

3) Give back to the community by helping out at a local food bank or soup kitchen

A lot of people say that their favorite part about Thanksgiving is the leftovers and for good reason, they are absolutely delicious! However, instead of enjoying them of Friday, why don’t you drive them over to the local food bank and drop them off to those in need? Better yet, helping out for a few hours at a soup kitchen will make you feel good and maybe help you work off some of the calories you accumulated from your Thanksgiving feast!

Since Thanksgiving is the time to give thanks, let your wallet have the opportunity to give you thanks my doing things that won’t cost you much money. What activities do you like to do when you go home that don’t cost much money?

Twitt
View Comments | Add a Comment
Related Posts