Now it may only be me, but going home for Thanksgiving this year does not feel the same as it did last year. My bags were packed and my boarding pass was printed in anticipation for warm California weather and reminiscing with old friends. But this being my senior year, thoughts crossed my mind that this might be one of the last flights I take home for Thanksgiving to visit my family. I eagerly wanted to unpack and convince all my friends that the cool kids were ditching the gravy for going out, but it didn’t work. Though I am currently writing this blog from my own bedroom at home, I wonder how I will get through yet another Thanksgiving filled with boring family stories and unfunny jokes. Here might be a few ways to spice up the old Thanksgiving hoopla.

The obvious thing would be to get totally wasted. Being a 21 newbie, I no longer have to worry about dirty looks shooting at me across the table as family members question what Wisconsin has done to my innocent liver.

When the booze runs out, and your family is progressively getting more annoying, you could always slip into the kitchen mid Turkey cooking and add a little something to your Grandma’s favorite stuffing. If your own addition is as gross as I think it has the potential to be, Granny may not be hosting any more Thanksgivings at her house.

To continue with the horrible scheming of the food exchange, you could always insist on taking on the role of adding the marshmallows to the yams. In place of the mallows, add a little spice with look-a-likes such as chicklets to get the crowd to start wondering where their traditional Thanksgiving dinner went, and where they could get it back.

We all have an annoying uncle, cousin or sister that can totally put a damper on the giving of thanks. Mashed potato replicas of your sister’s face or Aunt Gertrude’s body always cause a laugh from your side of the table.

But if you don’t feel like being a complete **** on the day that was meant to be shared with family and friends, you could always partake in a game of food coma and eat until you no longer feel like you can stand up away from the table.

To all you Thanksgiving lovers out there who enjoy a nice dinner around the table giving thanks with family and friends, you might scratch all of these options and keep with your usual routine. For me anyway, I’m either spiking the cranberry sauce or finding a cheap one-way ticket back to Wisconsin, where food is always appreciated and getting wasted is mildly encouraged.