As the days grow shorter and the hours of school seem to stretch on forever, the tensing nerves of students become evident as the many individuals mope through the hallways, waiting for lunch to arrive.

As the summer weather comes to a close and winter weather begins to dominate the skies, many students start to make travel plans and accommodations for the upcoming Thanksgiving vacation.

” This year, rather than going to the mountains like we often do for the fall holiday, my family has decided to spent Thanksgiving at my aunt’s house and have a large dinner that night,” said Stephen Willems, ’08, said. “My family owns a cabin in the coastal mountains of Santa Cruz.”

Busy schedules can contribute to, or hamper, Thanksgiving plans.

“We have decided to stay home and have a family dinner with our relatives,” Willems said. “We just don’t have the time at this time of the year to take off school and work to spend a whole week up in the mountains.”

During the long hours of school, the thoughts of many turn to their ideal Thanksgiving vacation.

“If I had the option of choosing where to go, I would probably choose San Antonio, Texas,” Willems said. “The weather is so warm there, and I’ve had a really fun time when I’ve visited there in the past.”

Although Thanksgiving is meant to be a holiday that creates the setting for the winter season and marks the start of the holiday season, some people celebrate in a relatively unorthodox manner.

” I know that most people stay at home with their families for Thanksgiving,” Clare Kister, ’08, said. “My family is flying to Las Vegas to spend the week with my relatives on my mom’s side. As long as there are relatives to talk to and a place that offers tasty, traditional Thanksgiving foods, the holiday will continue to be special and enjoyable anywhere I go.”

Thanksgiving vacation will last this year from Sept. 25-28. Weary students hope that the break will provide the student body a break from the daily stresses of school life and allows students to participate in more family time rather than time spent at school.

Whether traveling away to spend time with family or simply staying home to celebrate the holiday, Thanksgiving continues to be a time of gathering of family and preparation of various foods no matter where celebrated.