Just in time for turkey day, Smarty Pants Sarah brings you this guide to having the most romantic Thanksgiving ever. Sarah's favorite adult beverage is Maker's Mark on the rocks, and in high school, she was in color guard, which means she spent all of her YA Thanksgivings doing half time shows with the marching band. (We can see why she'd prefer spending them with a cute French boy instead.)
Let's all stop pretending that we like Thanksgiving when all Thanksgiving ever does is rub in our faces how much it is not Christmas. Thanks a lot Pilgrims, we get it. If you're like me, you're bored out of your mind eating sub par Christmas food, listening to music that does not include the words "merry, joy or all I want for Christmas is you," and opening zero presents.
Benjamin snooze button, am I right? Yes, I am right, because what else is Thanksgiving known for? That's right, sleeping.
Maybe you happen to be stuck in an American boarding school in Paris during Thanksgiving though. What? No?! No one reading this blog is in that situation?? Oh right, me neither.
Well, do you wish you were stuck in an American boarding school in Paris for Thanksgiving this year like I do, because you read Anna and the French Kiss over the summer and now whenever you think of Thanksgiving you can only think of Anna and St. Clair? (She's not calling him Étienne at this point in the book yet).
Do not despair young adult lovers! I'm here to tell you how to have the perfect Thanksgiving ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS STYLE! Just follow these seven easy steps!
1. Ditch the family and find a really cute boy to spend the day with. This is a must. If you can't think of a cute boy that you know, or he is not available because he has to spend Thanksgiving with his family, just go into a bar or something, or pull one off the street. You must find a cute boy by whatever means possible.
2. Keep getting distracted every time this cute boy does something like, smile. You don't know it yet, but he's quite possibly the love of your life.
3. Go somewhere where dead people are. The Panthéon is ideal, however a cemetery will work. (You might have gone to one with this same cute boy on Halloween) Make sure to say "Happy Thanksgiving, let's see some dead people."
4. Don't eat a home cooked meal! Find a restaurant serving authentic American Thanksgiving dinner and pretend that you are in Paris while eating it.
5. Walk around the Seine after dinner- or some body of water. It's good for digestion and romance, even if it's not the Seine- which I'm pretty sure it won't be since none of us are stuck in American boarding schools in Paris right now.
6. Go see a funny move with the cute boy. Seeing a movie on Thanksgiving is so very French- so do it!
7. Have a no-sex tension filled sleepover! Sorry if you've been spending the day with some cute boy you pulled out of a bar and don't want to do this, but you have to. No sex allowed only sexual tension! It's pretty romantic actually! If you really can not bring yourself to do this because you either have to have the sex or do not want to have the sleep over, then cozy up in bed and read chapters 18-21 in Anna and the French Kiss because they are awesome.
And that's it! While you're at it you should have on repeat all day long the Anna and the French Kiss playlist that Stephanie Perkins made on her website! The Hellboys are going to be your new favorite band.
Hope this guide will make your Thanksgiving better young adult fans! And you can go to sleep dreaming about how to have your very own Little Women Christmas. Oh, isn't butter divinity?
