Thanksgiving is a holiday celebrated all over the world, and for Simpson College students and staff, Thanksgiving is about showing gratitude for those who have supported us in our journey.
Kelsey Bolton, director of career development, said the Thanksgiving holiday isn’t about outwardly expressing thanks. Instead, it’s dedicated time to spend with friends and family.
“It’s time to just show your gratefulness for having the support of other people,” Bolton said.
Bolton is staying in Indianola this year to celebrate with her husband’s family. Her typical Thanksgiving day includes eating a late lunch, spending time with family members, playing games and watching football.
“We used to go Black Friday shopping,” Bolton said. “But now it’s much easier just to kind of hang out and do all of that online to avoid the crowds.”
The weekend after Thanksgiving, Bolton and her husband invite people over to watch college football while she puts up Christmas decorations and watches cheesy holiday movies to get into “the holiday zone.” Her newest tradition is going to the Festival of Trees and Lights in Des Moines, where her daughter will perform a holiday dance.
“This year specifically, this is kind of like the first year where I’m fully in this new role here at work, and so I’m thankful for my work friendships a lot,” Bolton said.
For Reggie Wearmouth-Gweah, a junior instrumental music performance major, Thanksgiving is when all his extended family members, and dogs, come together for a big family dinner.
He hopes to enjoy a relaxing break, but Wearmouth-Gweah’s schedule for the next few weeks is packed. He has three finals, a trombone and a piano jury, an orchestra concert, a jazz concert, a symphonic band concert and the Lessons and Carols Christmas choir concert.
“I’m most thankful for having a very good support group at home,” Wearmouth-Gweah said. “They’re very supportive of me doing music here, and they’re wanting me to continue.”
For Max Meyers, a senior double major in management information systems and music, Thanksgiving is one of his favorite holidays because he gets to spend time with his family and show thanks for all he has. One of his fondest traditions is having a huge family football game in his grandma’s backyard.
“We had some cousins who were really big into football and some who weren’t, who hadn’t touched a football ever,” Meyers said. “But it was just always a good time to be able to have all of us just play some football together.”
Meyers’ plan this year is to catch up on homework and enjoy some relaxed, family visiting time. Meyers is thankful to be at Simpson, to get a degree and to look to a future filled with opportunities. He is also grateful for the people who have helped him get here.
“I’m actually more thankful for all the people who have supported me because there’s just so many people that I have called friends, family and all that, who have helped me get to the point where I’m at,” Meyers said. “People who have been able to give me opportunities so I can have a bright future, hopefully.”
Bolton, Wearmouth-Gweah and Meyers said they would love to see Simpson host an inclusive potluck or Thanksgiving dinner for all students and staff who can’t go home. Simpson puts on several potlucks for faculty and staff, but Bolton said she would like to include students.
“Since break isn’t a full week long, some students might not be traveling back, especially if they’re from out of state or further away, or if they have athletics,” Bolton said. “We could still give them the opportunity to kind of engage in that Thanksgiving meal or potluck or whatever that looks like.”
Bolton looks forward to Thanksgiving because she loves the food, especially mashed potatoes and gravy and orange Jell-O with mandarin oranges. Meyers loves his family’s ambrosia salad with coconut, oranges, pineapple and marshmallows. Wearmouth-Gweah loves sweet potatoes, mac and cheese and green bean casserole.
Despite favoring different Thanksgiving foods, Bolton, Meyers and Wearmouth-Gweah all share the thankful spirit of the holiday and hope for a restful break from college life.