Happy Thanksgiving, College Insurrection readers!

State University of New York student Benjamin Schleider shares his enthusiasm for the holiday:

Perfection is an elusive noun. Rarely can something or someone be described as perfect, as much as I would love to apply the word to myself. However, on one specific Thursday in November, perfection can be found somewhere in between the turkey, stuffing and mounds of mashed potatoes on your plate.

What’s wrong with Thanksgiving? The short answer would be: nothing. The slightly longer answer would be: absolutely nothing. Between friends, family, food (lots and lots of food), football, beer, three days off from classes (or even more if you take it upon yourself) and the crisp November weather, there is no wonder why this is mankind’s greatest holiday.

Throughout the years, Thanksgiving has never once disappointed me. It could be the fact that my family’s celebration never strays from tradition or the fact that I love food more than some people love their children. Thanksgiving is consistently my favorite holiday of the year.

I wake up around 11 a.m. to catch the tail end of the parade, while praying for something to go wrong so that I can get a cheap laugh. At the very least I will be able to catch one or two impressive floats or musical performance. Then we travel to my Aunt and Uncle’s house to join the rest of my family, and this is when the food begins.

A spread will inevitably be laid out along the kitchen counter. Fresh chopped liver from my Grandma’s local deli is the star here, my personal favorite. After a few beers, appetizers, family bonding and a heavy dose of football on the big-screen TV, dinner will be served.

Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans, cranberry sauce…and that is just dinner. After stuffing my face and filling my stomach to belt-loosening proportions, dessert will be right around the corner. No matter how much you eat for dinner, as my family says, “there’s always room for dessert.”

Like an encore to the greatest concert that you have ever been to, dessert makes the incredible dinner that much better. Pumpkin and apple pie shine here, a testament to the fall season that Thanksgiving encompasses. By the time that dessert is over, it is not uncommon to swear that you will never eat again.

Once we are on the highway back home, the tryptophan will have finally caught up with me and I will quickly fall asleep. The slumber continues once we get back home, even if it’s only 10 p.m., as a wonderful night’s sleep awaits me.

Regardless of how your family celebrates this joyous holiday, it is sure to be one of the highlights of the year. Whether you are a parade connoisseur, a football fanatic or a food junkie, Thanksgiving has something for everyone. And for me, it has everything.