I’d Rather Be Alone

By Trey Wells

In our house, there usually consists of two or three people. Me, my mother, and sometimes my dad since he must travel to other states for his job. I like being alone. It gives me more time to get creative and read or play stories that I find interesting, and sometimes even create my own. So, when my mom or dad tries to invite other people to our house for Thanksgiving, I want to know what time they are coming.

And what time will they leave.

I have no problem talking to people, but I usually like talking to people that have similar interests to me. So, when my grandparents came over for Thanksgiving this year, my mouth was sealed tight. They’re not mean but they do have a tendency of being very social. I want to know everything about everyone. When we are watching a show or movie, my grandpa repeats back a line or a scene just to make small talk. Grandma would bring up something she’d seen online to see what we thought about it. Everyone has done this once or twice but when you do it almost every day it can be seen very annoying and repetitive. It also doesn’t help that my dad is somewhat similar; however, my grandparents try to brighten up a conversation while my dad makes a conversation awkward, bringing up topics that would seem as too bossy.

I remember Thanksgiving 2022. It was probably the best since I just spent time with my mom. Everyone else was busy that year so it was just us two. My mom has a very similar introverted personality that I have so it was much easier to have a discussion with her.

I know I probably won’t have Thanksgiving like that next year. But, hey, at least I’m thankful that my grandparents aren’t coming for Christmas this year.

Thanksgiving – Or just Another Day

By Ana Cruz

Everything started at 7 a.m. I know it was Thanksgiving, but it did not feel like it. My dog didn’t even want to get up. Everyone was asleep except my mom because she had to work on Thanksgiving. I thought this day had to be all joyful and colorful but , no, it seemed so gloomy and sad. I just stayed on my bed until 9 because there was no point in getting up if I was cold and sad.

By the time I got out of bed my older and younger sisters where up and as son as they saw me, they said, “HAPPY THANKSGIVING.” It didn’t feel so happy, so I smiled and walked right back into my room.  I fell back asleep and when I woke up it was 3 in the afternoon. I panicked because I knew my mom was about to be home and I forgot to clean. My mom came home and didn’t say anything about me not cleaning so she cooked rice, mashed potatoes, ham, mac and cheese, quak, tortillas, and so much more. By the time she was done cooking, friends were here so we sat down and got food. Our food and devoured the food by the time I blinked twice everyone was done but me. At the end, it really did feel like Thanksgiving. All my family and friends got to spend time together.

The Best Thanksgiving. I think

By Melanie Castillo

By nature, I’m not the loudest in the room. I watch more than I speak. My family, however, is a different universe – loud, dramatic, affectionate, chaotic in a way that somehow feels like home. Somehow, every thanksgiving I walk straight into the storm willingly, Lucky me, this year I had back up. My boyfriend, Blaine. Poor guy didn’t know what he was walking into. I tried to warn him. He, however, didn’t listen.

By noon, the house was loud already. Loud enough to shake the walls. My mom was flying around the kitchen like a stressed out humming bird, checking the menudo, yelling at people to get out of her kitchen while also somehow asking everyone if they’d eaten. My baby maternal nieces and nephew, Gale and Gaeli, were fighting over the same toy even though there were seven others on the floor. Classic more of theirs.

Then the doorbell starts its marathon. My cousin, Jeniffer and her husband, Miguel, walk in first – already bickering, already pretending they weren’t. Then my other cousin, Larry, Neififfer’s sister, came int with her husband Jase, the tension between the two husbands was thick enough to slice with a plastic Thanksgiving knife. I knew immediately that drama was coming. Holiday tradition, really?

My brothers, Brian and Santiago, appear behind them holding plates even though the food wasn’t served yet. My little cousins, the kids of Larry and Jeniffer, Damian, Jayline and Josef ran straight past everyone like feral children released back into the wild. My sister, Marina and her husband Luis arrived looking exhausted, like they’d survived a small war just getting out of the car.

Carolina, Andrea, and Sebastian are my cousins of the same age. They showed up last, as usual, like they were making a grand entrance nobody asked for but everyone expected. It’s how they walk everywhere. Then there was Blaine, standing next to me, smiling politely. Probably questioning every life choice that brought him to this exact moment. But, he chose to date me. So that’s on him.

The food made everything feel real; menudo steaming on the stove, barbecue ribs and lemon pepper wings stacked like a challenge, mashed potatoes so good they should been illegal, and break disappeared faster than it cooled. Dinner should’ve been peaceful. Should have. But then the inevitable happened.

Somewhere between plate two and three Miguel made a comment. Jose made another comment louder, sharper. The entire table froze in that, “O no here we go” silence. Chairs scattered, voices rose, hands got thrown in the air. Not punches, yet, but the energy was there. Family drama, served hot. My mom yelled over it all threatening everyone with, “Don’t be ruining my Thanksgiving!” in that mother voice that could calm hurricanes.

In the end, everything calmed down, for now. People kept eating, the twins cried again, and Santi treated the fight like a comedy show. Blaine whispered: “Is it always like this?” and when I said yes, he still stayed. Proof enough that he likes me, and my hurricane of a family. As the night faded, everyone got tired. Kids knocked out on couches, the usual chaotic goodbyes happened, forgotten leftovers and all. Finally, when it was just my mom, Blaine and me, the house fell into a peaceful quiet. I sat there tired but warm, realizing that even with all the drama and notice, I felt completely full.

So, honestly, it really did end up being the best Thanksgiving.