One Saturday during Thanksgiving Break in seventh grade, my group of friends made our way through Target, running up and down the aisles and piling our cart full of the most random, delectable snacks: cosmic brownies, gummy clusters, Lucky Charms cereal, Sweet Tart ropes, Yerba Mates, salt and vinegar chips, and our beloved Chester Hot Cheeto Fries. We paid with our group’s designated food credit card we use on our outings and promptly walked across the street to order the ingredients for our signature Chick-fil-A bowl: 20 chicken nuggets, a medium mac and cheese, a large fry, five Chick-fil-A sauces, and a large empty salad bowl to mix it in. 

We then hopped into our friend’s car, headed for our favorite park and gathered around an old picnic table, laying out our elaborate spread of junk food and mixing up our Chick-fil-A bowl. That year marked the start of a tradition that we’ve carried on every Thanksgiving break since. 

This tradition that we have lovingly dubbed ‘Ricksgiving’ is named after one of our friends, Rihanna Alfekri, whom we’ve nicknamed Rick. The name is a special reminder of a beloved event that we look forward to each year. 

Although we eat our food together on a cold November evening on the somewhat dirty park picnic table, we value this time spent together at least as much as traditional Thanksgiving dinners. We’ve continued this tradition for the past four years. The night ends with all of us sleeping over at Rick’s house and baking late at night. 

With all of the changes in our lives —  moving schools, moving houses, becoming busier, and getting a heavier academic load — we still make time every year on Thanksgiving break to meet and have our meal.

Our tradition is a version of Friendsgiving, an activity that’s garnered more popularity and attention in the past decade. While spending time with family is great, the laid-back aspect of Friendsgiving compared to fancy Thanksgiving meals allows us to relax during the  hectic holiday season. We don’t have to worry about dressing up or planning something extravagant, we don’t even have to worry about table manners.

I am happiest around my friends, so building traditions with them is equally important to me as spending time with family and making familial traditions. It’s our way to stay connected and enjoy the holiday season a little more. 

Putting our own twist on ‘Friendsgiving’ and establishing these traditions gives my friends and me something to look forward to and reminds us of our bonds with one another, though we go to different schools. It’s a reminder that we are still close and enjoy being together, and each year it feels more and more special because we are able to relive the event that we started doing four years ago. 

The US doesn’t have very many holidays centered around friends. Most important holidays are centered around spending time with family, which is important. However, in Latin countries, they celebrate Dia de Amistad, otherwise known as Friendship Day. Friends bring each other small presents and plan dinner parties and get-togethers, which many take part in. We do have an official day of friendship in the U.S.; however, it is not widely celebrated. 

Making intentional time to celebrate my friends and share stories about our lives makes me feel closer to them: it reminds me that I have these people by my side.

So, traditions don’t always have to be important or fancy to be special; they can simply consist of munching on a hodge-podge of your favorite foods and snacks with your group of friends in a familiar park.