Thanksgiving is a national holiday that we celebrate as a time to give thanks for all of the blessings we have had throughout the year. It originated in Plymouth, Massachusetts, signifying a good harvest season. Today, we often associate Thanksgiving with the start of the holiday season. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays for multiple reasons. First, let's not forget the incredible food we get to eat. Also, how could you not love having a time to get together with your friends and family? Finally, it is a time to say a special thank you for all of the things we have to be thankful for. This awesome holiday, however, is often overlooked.

Thanksgiving comes a month before Christmastime, and often is forgotten because of how exciting the Christmas season is. As much as I love Christmas, this disappoints me. At the beginning of November, we start to see a mix of Thanksgiving and Christmas decorations in stores. Generally, the Thanksgiving stuff gets pushed aside as Christmas gets closer. Commercials for the best Christmas deals take over our televisions. The Radio's schedule includes everything from "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" to "All I Want for Christmas is You." Oh, and how could you forget going to see Santa at the mall? Now, I am all for celebrating a Merry Christmas, but I find it appalling that we focus on the excitement of Christmas before taking the time to celebrate Thanksgiving.

Many people would rather spend their Thanksgiving sitting outside in the cold, waiting for the chance to save on some of their Christmas shopping, instead of spending time with family and friends, celebrating everything good in their lives. Isn't it sad that we are more concerned on having the latest products rather than being appreciative for the things we already have? We are too worried about what we don't have that we forget to take a second to see what we have already been blessed with. Thanksgiving is one day out of the year where we are meant to give thanks, and instead, we confuse it with the beginning of the Christmas season.

This Thanksgiving, I ask you to truly appreciate what you have. Don't focus on making your Christmas list. Don't leave Thanksgiving dinner early just to get a spot in line outside of Macy's. Instead, give thanks. It could be simple. Your health. Your family. Your friends. Take the time to tell the important people in your life how grateful you are to have them. Give back to those in the community who don't have as much. Any little thing can make a difference. Enjoy everything that you have, because someone else in the world would be grateful to have even half of your blessings. It may not always seem like it, but every person has at least one thing to be thankful for, and this is the time to appreciate it.

Happy Thanksgiving!!