The holidays will look a little different this year, because the border has opened and Canadians may now enter the US. That may not affect some people’s lives but for people who have family members over there, this is huge. 

Jack Boone ‘23 says his grandparents will be coming on Tuesday, November 23, and will be staying through Thanksgiving. This will be different from last year because they were not able to have any family from Canada for the holiday. Boone says, “There was a stretch of about twenty months that I didn’t see any of my family. It was a little easier because we FaceTimed them every day, but it’s just not the same as seeing them in person.”

For sophomore Owen MacKinnon everyday life without his Canadian family has been a little different. “My family isn’t as tech-savvy,” said MacKinnon, “So it makes it a little more difficult.” Both MacKinnon and Boone have a decent amount of family across the border. “All of my grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and distant relatives live in Canada,” said Boone. 

For a majority of the people who have family members in Canada, they have something they definitely miss or are looking forward to when they can reunite in person. “I really just can’t wait till I can socialize and be with everyone again,” said MacKinnon.

Boone has been able to see some of his family because he and his brother went over right when the borders opened for US citizens to cross, so right now what he’s most eager about is, “Mmmmmm, definitely my grandmother’s cooking.” 

Although Boone gets to see his family his sleeping arrangements may not be the best, but he’s definitely seeing the bright side of it. “They stay in my room and I get to sleep on the floor,” Boone said, “But, hey, I get to see them and that’s what matters.” 

For many families, eating around the dinner table, or sharing laughs is just something that easily happens around the holiday time, but Boone said, “Don’t take for granted those small things, because you never know when they may happen again.”