When I studied abroad , I spent Thanksgiving alone because at the time , my depression got the best of me . I had made friends with the locals but not with my study abroad group and felt like I didn ' t belong there so didn ' t go to the Thanksgiving dinner that had been prepared for us . Since the locals didn ' t celebrate Thanksgiving and because it was right in the midst of exams , I didn ' t have anyone to eat Thanksgiving dinner with . In the end , I chose to make a huge meal for myself and actually learned how to make stuff I never knew how to make before . Did I feel lonely ? Hell yeah . But , I just told myself that I was learning for the future , that by cooking , I ' d learn how to make something delicious to share with my friends and family . If anything , cooking a huge meal gave me the opportunity to share with my apartment mates and lasted me for quite some time .