Thanksgiving. Wikipedia defines it as a traditional North American holiday celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November to give thanks at the conclusion of the harvest season.

Butler students, on the other hand, define it as a week away from textbooks and No. 2 pencils; a time to finally stop considering Easy-Mac and Spaghettios meals; and a time to do nothing and love every second of it.

“The best part about being home is just being able to finally relax,” Junior Alex Montagano said.

Montagano stayed in Indianapolis through Nov. 18, to watch the Colts game with friends, but went home to Valparaiso to be with family.

Normally, Montagano explained, his family travels to Detroit to spend Thanksgiving at his grandparents’ house with the whole family. However, due to his mom recovering from a recent surgery, this year was the first Thanksgiving in a long time that he and his parents stayed home for a quiet Thanksgiving.

“It will be nice to just be home so I don’t spend most of the break traveling,” he said. “I can just chill in one place.”

While some Butler students enjoyed a relaxing break like Montagano’s, others struggled to survive a week of overwhelming family chaos.

“My mom has seven brothers and sister so we spend Thanksgiving with a huge family at my grandma’s house,” Junior Elizabeth Thorndyke said. “No one knows why. It’s the smallest house out of everyone’s’ house, but it’s tradition.”

Thorndyke said that the good part about the holiday is the food.

“We all cram in there and eat our lives away,” Thorndyke said. “There’s food everywhere!”

Thorndyke explained that the holiday is anything but relaxing for her.

“All of my relatives get drunk,” Thorndyke said. “The kids sneak alcohol too! When I was younger I remember sneaking alcohol in cups that my uncle would give me!”

Junior Megan Flajs will also have an eventful Thanksgiving experience.

“My family is just crazy,” Flajs said. “I love them to death, but they are nuts.”

Since Flajs is very close with her boyfriend of five years and his family, the two of them will spend Thanksgiving day with both sides of his family and both sides of hers.

“That equals four meals, but I’m down for it,” she said. “I absolutely cannot wait for my grandma’s pumpkin pie!”

“My grandpa will be cracking jokes all day; my Aunt Julie will be showing catalogs to sell her Avon products, and my sister Abby will fill us all in on the latest High School Musical movie," Flajs said.

“These are the things I come to expect from my family, but they are also the things I love and I miss when I’m away at school,” she added. “My cousin Lucas will be my savior. He is the only one my age, so we always hang out at family functions."

Although most Butler students spent break with their families, this was not the case for all of them.

Senior Katie Vanes, for example, enjoyed a different kind of break than most by spending it in England and Spain visiting one of her friends who is studying abroad.

While activities vary greatly, one thing is for sure: Butler students made the most of their time off and enjoyed their freedom before those stressful pre-finals weeks.