Students celebrate Thanksgiving without extended family

By Anna Gao,
Bluedevilhub.com Staff–

Thanksgiving is a holiday central to most Americans’ lives, when families gather to appreciate what they have, but for some, the whole family can’t be there. Some students at Davis High are second or even first generation, leaving their extended family behind in another country.

Thanksgiving, a holiday that usually involves large family gatherings, leaves some of these students longing for their extended family.

Junior Andrea Zheng is a second-generation American. “I think it’s hard on my parents especially to not have their parents with us in the U.S. during the holidays,” Zheng said.

However, junior Anna Young does not feel that affected by her family’s separation.

“I feel like I should be missing out, because you always see these big family gatherings on TV during Thanksgiving, but I’ve grown up [without my extended family] so I’ve never known anything different,” she said.

Zheng still misses her family during the holidays.

“I see all the posts from my friends on social media with their grandparents and other relatives, and it makes me miss my family in China more,” she said.

Both Zheng and Young have found ways to celebrate Thanksgiving in their own way.

Young’s family usually goes to a family friend’s house to celebrate Thanksgiving with other people who also don’t have extended family in the U.S.

Similarly, Zheng’s family hosts a Thanksgiving gathering.

“My dad likes to invite people from his lab over. They don’t have family in the U.S. either, so it’s nice to spend time with them because it’s like we are a family,” Zheng said.

Zheng’s family has a combination of both traditional Thanksgiving foods, such as mashed potatoes and turkey, as well as some Chinese dishes.

“So basically my family’s Thanksgiving is American but with a Chinese twist,” she said.