Every year, Christmas seems to arrive earlier and earlier. I mean, Christmas day is always December 25th, but the festivities start much sooner. Even before Halloween, stores start putting out Christmas decorations. Advertisements for Christmas gifts pop up all over the internet. By November, the holiday candies and treats are on the shelves. Radio stations even start playing Christmas music by mid-November.

What about Thanksgiving?

Please don't get me wrong... I'm not a Scrooge. In fact, I absolutely LOVE Christmas. Some people might compare me to a real-life, female version of Buddy the Elf come December. I love baking cookies and eating all the candies. I even own nine Christmas sweaters, three Christmas dresses, and two Christmas pajama sets. I love me some Christmas music (N'Sync's Christmas album will always be my favorite).

But I also love Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. First of all, I love all the traditional foods - turkey, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, roasted root vegetables, apple pie... it's like all of my favorite foods come together in one meal! Secondly, I really love the idea of having a holiday about giving thanks. It's an occasion to get together with your family and be grateful for them. It's a time to count all of the blessings in your life and truly appreciate them. It's an opportunity to just be present and thankful for simply being alive.

Yes, Thanksgiving comes with some historical controversy, but that is the past. Gratitude should be the focus of Thanksgiving. We all have a lot to be thankful for, whether we realize it or not. Life throws some hard stuff at us, but it also sprinkles in a whole lot of good. Use Thanksgiving as a time to notice them and treasure them.

Please, don't skip Thanksgiving. It is such an important holiday if you look at it the way I do (and frankly, I don't want to get totally Christmas-ed out before December even arrives... I want to be able to enjoy the holiday season).

Have a happy Thanksgiving!