_The perfect college-kid Thanksgiving, what a concept! You are away from home and your family and all of a sudden, you no longer have a traditional day to look forward to. For some, this is a relief, for others a tragedy, but as many know, when you’re with your friends, anything can happen. Here are some options to help you achieve the perfect “friendsgiving.”_

**The True Friendsgiving**

This first option is inspired by the show “Friends.” If you aren’t familiar with this extremely popular sitcom … do you not like to laugh and experience happiness? But luckily for you, “Friends” will be on Netflix on Jan. 1, so you can watch this episode and understand why I’m talking about it.

In the episode, “The One Where Underdog Gets Away,” all of the friends’ Thanksgiving plans fall through, and they decide to spend the holiday together. After Monica fails to make everyone’s Thanksgiving favorites exactly the way their mothers do, they settle on grilled cheese, with dark and light cheese, Funyuns and wine. It’s a classic and well-suited for anyone who likes grilled cheese (so basically everyone).

**Give thanks for your heritage**

One thing I’m thankful for is the way America is a melting pot of different cultures –– and cuisines. My mom’s side of the family is Italian, so I have two Thanksgivings, one with traditional food and one with Italian food. Honestly, it is one of the greatest innovations on Thanksgiving food ever, because homemade lasagna is a gift from the gods.

This brilliant melding of traditions sparked an idea of my own: a Thanksgiving with Mexican food. If your friends are anything like mine, Mexican food is never turned down. My personal recommendations for Mexican restaurants in Columbia are Las Margaritas, La Siesta and Mi Tierra. Luckily, these restaurants have specials on margaritas on Thursdays, so it will be a fiesta indeed.

Other cultural foods can be substituted if Mexican isn’t your thing — Asian, Italian, whatever tickles your fancy. So if celebrating our country with a different country’s cuisine sounds like a party, this is the option for you.

**The Ultimate “Talladega Nights” Thanksgiving**

So hopefully you’ve seen the scene in “Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby” where they have the feast consisting of every type of fast food imaginable. This option puts a twist on that, creating a Thanksgiving made up of everyone’s favorite CoMo fast foods. This means Chipotle, Gumby’s, Noodles and Jimmy John’s — turkey sandwiches, of course.

Obviously, if you’d rather have Moe’s and Dominos, substitutions can be made, but the whole point of this option is to gather around a big table with your friends and feast on the classic fast food we all love. Maybe even say a prayer to baby Jesus if the moment feels right.

**Thanksgiving Activities**

No holiday is complete without some fun ways to celebrate the occasion, so here are a few you can try:

_Say what you are thankful for._ This is a tradition in my family, and it’s my personal favorite. It may feel kind of weird to go around a table and share what you are thankful for with your friends, but it is a good way to let the people you love know how much they mean to you.

_Volunteer at a homeless shelter or soup kitchen._ Around this time of year when school is stressful, sometimes it is easy to forget how lucky you are to have so much to be thankful for. Volunteering with your friends can be a lot of fun, so take the time to give back and make Thanksgiving special for someone else.

_For those of you who are of age, make a Thanks-tini._ “How I Met Your Mother,” another show I hope you have all seen, inspires this Thanksgiving martini. One of the main characters, Barney, makes a Thanks-tini out of potato vodka, cranberry juice and a bouillon cube. If this seems at all desirable or interesting to you, have some fun and experiment with your friends.