I love Christmas. It is my favorite holiday and I look forward to it all year. The bright twinkle of the lights, the snow that makes everything look so pure and the joy of family coming together. That being said, I wait until after Thanksgiving before I break out my holiday cheer. I think every holiday should get its fair share and lately, Thanksgiving seems to have been pushed to the background.

After Halloween, it was like everyone went straight to Christmas. Instead of the wonderful colors of fall, windows were immediately filled with green and red. Instead of turkeys, trees were the symbol I started to see. Even the day of Thanksgiving is no longer sacred, as many Black Friday sales begin that evening. Instead of focusing on all that we should be thankful for, we think about all the material items we can get on sale that night.

Thanksgiving is one of the few holidays that is just about celebrating being an American. It is not affiliated with any religion. It is just a celebration of survival, which is one I hope we can all relate to as all of us have had a day that was hard to survive. We get to eat a lot of food and remember that even when everything seems like it is going wrong, there is something to be thankful for. We get to remember that through many hardships, we managed to survive. So why have we started to forget about it?

I know how easy it is to move straight onto Christmas, especially when after Thanksgiving there is only a month. This year though, I ask you to not forget about Thanksgiving. Black Friday sales would not exist, if we did not shop at them. If we took the time to remember Thanksgiving, it would be brought back. We have so much to be thankful for.

So eat the 4,500 calories most American average this holiday. Spend time with the ones you love. Remember how lucky we are to be where we are today. Do not focus on how much money you have to spend, or when the sales start. Be thankful we are blessed enough for an entire holiday of thankfulness. And wait just a little bit longer to celebrate Christmas.