I love Christmas as much as the next person, don't get me wrong, but I'm so sick of this over commercialism that sometimes begins at the very ending hours on the day on Halloween. Trust me, I'm the typical girl that blasts Mariah Carey and Michael Buble well before Christmas, but I always considered that to be the week of Thanksgiving. Now you're late to the Christmas party if you haven't tweeted your excitement by November 1st or shared an Elf meme amongst your friends. But let's not forget, there is a holiday that lies between dressing up and Santa arriving and for some of us it's the best holiday of all. Here's 12 extremely valid reasons to stop skipping over THANKSGIVING!

1. THE FOOD

This is self explanatory! Even if you're one of those odd people who hates turkey there's stuffing, apple pie, pumpkin pie, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, gravy!! And if you're another ethnicity most times you mix your own foods into Thanksgiving! Who doesn't love Lasagna on Thanksgiving too! Right Italians?

2. Your Family

Though sometimes they drive you up a wall, you get to sit around a table with the only people that will love you unconditionally and will always give you a place to come home to! Plus half the time no matter how young you are no one cares you're drinking alcohol because everyone's drunker than you.

3. Football

Whether you like the teams playing or not (I do, shoutout Cowboys), there's always football to watch, America's favorite sport! Nothing says Turkey Day without a little football.

4. Christmas movies at night

The Christmas movies have traditionally always started at night on Thanksgiving commencing the Christmas season once the main meal had ended. Who doesn't love Home Alone?

5. The Parade

The parade itself is a reason to love Thanksgiving. Celebrity guests on floats, some of your favorite performers and balloons of characters from your childhood! There's nothing better.

6. Seeing all your friends again!

Thanksgiving means coming from school and seeing all your best friends again whether the night before or maybe you're Black Friday shopping the morning after, either way you have more to be thankful for then just your family, but your friends too.

7. And finally... the good night sleep you'll get after.

After one huge fricken meal of goodness, you always have the best sleep of the whole year (assuming of course you're not ridiculous and don't go Black Friday shopping. Be a 21st century human and wait for Cyber Monday).

So, remember, while we all love Christmas and everything the holiday season brings, do us a favor and at least acknowledge that Thanksgiving, the second best holiday around, still exists.