In my opinion, holidays are some of the most important days of the year. It’s an opportunity to shove life’s perpetual stressors to the side and instead focus on friends, family, and the diminutive joys we all too often seem to neglect within our laborious lives.

While serving in the United States Army on active duty, the opportunity to celebrate holidays in their traditional fashion was infrequent and sparse. My Thanksgiving meals were often a Meal, Ready-to-Eat (MRE) enjoyed from the inside of a Stryker or huddled around other soldiers, and this became my sense of normalcy. Now, as a student at Harvard living 2,580 miles away from my family in the Pacific Northwest, I’ve opted to continue my unique tradition of spending the holidays away from home (and it totally has nothing to do with the fact that flights are typically $700+). And much to my surprise, I’ve learned that staying on campus for the holidays is its own type of adventure, as Harvard has an unparalleled way of turning even the grayest skies into a festive backdrop that feels just like home.

Every year, Harvard University Dining Services (HUDS) hosts an elaborate Thanksgiving dinner inside of Annenberg Hall, which ordinarily serves as the dining hall for first-year students living in the Yard. Inside, beneath the intricate stained glass windows and elegant chandeliers, laid a smorgasbord of traditional Thanksgiving favorites ranging from charcuterie boards to golden pies and turkeys roasted to perfection. “As if this place didn’t already feel like Hogwarts, it surely does now.” I remember saying to myself.

However, what stood out most to me from this event was the unapologetic sense of community and feeling of togetherness which permeated the hall. For my fellow students and me, there was no amount of distance away from home that could separate our friendship or silence our thunderous laughs over sparkling apple cider. Pro tip: remember to skip breakfast. The portions are generous and the leftovers legendary.

This past Thanksgiving, I had the honor of being invited to the Dudley Co-Op by another military veteran at Harvard to celebrate alongside the community’s 32 undergraduates and two graduate student tutors. As I walked into the wood-lined Victorian house, I was greeted by smiling faces and endless rows of food, all prepared entirely by other Harvard students. Afterwards, my fiancé and I hosted our own “Friendsgiving” celebration at our Cambridge apartment, complete with even more food and a gingerbread house competition. Engineering concentrators always win, but at least I can explain to them why tangible assets like gingerbread skyscrapers depreciate faster than their icing melts under inflationary pressure.

Overall, the holidays at Harvard are about the simplistic joys in the small moments we’ll carry with us as memories for the remainder of our lives. So, if you’re not jetting off somewhere this year for the holidays, have no fear. Harvard has a way of making the holidays magical – even when you’re far from home.