The holiday season is among us. Thanksgiving is on Thursday, and Christmas is coming next month. Yet, Thanksgiving tends to get overshadowed. Already, Freeform has advertised for their countdown to 25 days of Christmas, which starts on Thanksgiving. On social media, people joke that as soon as November 1st hits, Christmas season is upon us (people joke, but that's how it seems to be). On top of that, some Black Friday shopping starts on Thanksgiving, not even on Friday anymore. Basically, this holiday is easily overshadowed, but it's a holiday enjoyed by many. It's a time when it's acceptable to eat your body weight in food, but then regret it the next day. Most of the time, people go travel to see extended family, and catch up with what's been going on lately, or just resort to some politically filled discussion. Regardless, people have various traditions making Thanksgiving special, yet why is it still so overlooked?
For the most part, you don't see Thanksgiving decorations in the store, but that's because there really aren't any. There's plenty of Christmas decorations, like all of the inflatables and lights that we see, but you don't see any inflatable turkeys. Also, when was the last time there was a Thanksgiving movie? Sure, TV series do Thanksgiving episodes, but there seems to be few movies in which Thanksgiving is a the center. There's plenty of Christmas movies, ranging from the ever-quoted Elf to those cheesy Hallmark movies. People tend to gravitate toward Christmas more because gifts are given. As greedy as it sounds - and even though that shouldn't be the sole focus of Christmas - people like getting stuff, especially stuff that's free. Thanksgiving really isn't about getting stuff, so, therefore, some turn away.
Even if it's not the most exciting holiday, Thanksgiving is a holiday for a reason. It's a time when we sit down to recognize what e are thankful for. It's when we realize we shouldn't take everyday things for granted. The fact is that not everyone is as fortunate as we think. If you take a trip to other third world countries, the people there may not have a house, or clothes, or money. It's at times like these when we get a wake-up call when we realize that we are lucky. So Thanksgiving isn't the only day e should be giving thanks. We should give thanks every day for the small things in life. This year, appreciate the time you have with your family, whether you travel or not.
"These are my Thanksgiving pants!" - Joey Tribianni, Friends
