Thanksgiving means a lot to many, many people.
It's one of those days in the year reserved for people to gather with family, friends and loved ones, no matter how they celebrate.
However, it doesn't have to be a scene from a Norman Rockwell painting.
A feast, ski trip or movie at the local cinema all suffice. Although not everyone's traditions are the same, the meaning of the holiday is similar.
As children, we are told Thanksgiving is a day to give thanks for the good things that happen to us throughout the year. For the most part, it is, but for many college students, it's the first real break from three months of monotony.
Holidays in general serve this purpose, but Thanksgiving is special.
Many holidays at this time of year focus on specific religions and beliefs, but Thanksgiving is primarily an American holiday. We commemorate brotherhood, friendship and gratitude for the positive things in our lives.
Such things transcend religion.
It's not a Christian holiday. Or a Jewish, Muslim or Buddhist holiday.
Anyone, regardless of religious denomination, can adapt the holiday to his or her own traditions and celebrations.
And it doesn't have to include eating a roasted turkey with mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce along with 50 relatives.
It's spending time with an older relative you haven't seen in years, talking with friends you met on campus this semester, meeting a foreign exchange student who doesn't have anywhere else to go for Thanksgiving or seeing someone who survived a horrible accident just weeks ago; We all have unique Thanksgiving memories that last us throughout the years.
We might not give thanks for everything at the dinner table, but, subconsciously, it's a reminder of what's important. Especially those who are around you.
It doesn't really matter if "family" means a close personal circle of friends or favorite aunts, uncles and cousins. Thanksgiving isn't just about bloodlines or people who show up for dinner, but those who are closest to you.
That's what Thanksgiving is all about in the end.
It's all about getting together. Even if we fail to appreciate it at the time, the memories served at the table last longer than the turkey sandwiches afterward.
