Thanksgiving is one of my most favorite holidays (who am I kidding? They’re all my favorite.) But since I came back to America, I’ve been living with friends, so I don’t have my own place to host Thanksgiving dinner. This year I joined the Suon family. Pauline made turkey, mashed potatoes, roasted bacon-brussel sprouts-butternut squash, and Stovetop stuffing (their family tradition). I made cranberries and chestnut stuffing, mulled wine, and candied yams. Jess made his signature gravy. After hours of cooking, we inhaled our food and passed out in 15 minutes.

At midnight Samantha had to go to work Black Friday, so I dropped her off at the mall and tried to wander around. It was my first time experiencing Black Friday and dare I say the last. It was pure chaos and it hadn’t even started yet. I skedaddled out of there before the real rush began.