Thanksgiving Eve party time
There are different ways to do it, I suppose - and not all necessarily involve drinking. Like I dunno, maybe some people get together and have some intense annual trivial pursuit games with family or friends.
But I can see what you mean by not having the right circumstances for it to happen.
So, my family is weird. Well, my dad is weird. Very German American. Very, quiet, somber, simple... no big gathering.
My mom is one of 14 kids. But, when we'd visit her family in Puerto Rico, it's either christmas time or summer. Big family gatherings, parties, all that.
My dad's side, only recently started getting together every summer. It's kinda sad, I know all of that side of my family, but not really. We'd rarely hang. Our parents were so weird.
This might be the Scotch talking, but as I think about it now, it's kind of sad. I don't know my aunt and uncle on my dad's side as well as I should. And I really don't know my aunts and uncles on my mom's side as well as I should, because I don't speak spanish well. However, a few of them I know pretty well, due to them busting their butts speaking English to me.
To go Freud on this, I'm an only child, who was also unable to fully connect with his wider family. Probably explains why I'm cool just doing my own thing.
That being said, I'd totally understand people hitting bars hard the night before, or bigger family events. Depends on the family. I know when I moved to Louisiana after college, I was so in love with the intense family gatherings, traditions, meals, fun that people had.