Has anyone else noticed that ever since Halloween ended, people are getting really excited for Christmas? Like, maybe so excited that they completely forgot there's another holiday that comes about a whole month before Christmas? In the past few years, everyone has seemed to completely forget about Thanksgiving. And I get it, Christmas is great and fun and exciting -- but it doesn't mean you should treat Thanksgiving like it doesn't exist! For all of you out there reading this right now wearing 6 different Christmas sweaters underneath your Christmas trees blasting Christmas music from your laptops, angrily shaking your heads and disagreeing with me, just take a sec to hear me out. Here's a list of 11 reasons to slow the hell down and remember why Thanksgiving is such an amazing holiday.
1. FOOD.
Thanksgiving is literally a holiday based around stuffing yourself until you pass out on your aunt's kitchen floor. It is the one meal a year where it is socially acceptable to completely engorge yourself on an array of special holiday foods: turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, squash, rolls, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie...must I say more?!
2. Last few weeks of fall
Everyone gets so excited for the fall to start in the beginning of September, sipping their pipping hot PSLs in the 80 degree weather in your bikinis. Once November has hit, fall is in full swing, with the foliage at its peak and the weather with the perfect autumn chill. Why rush into snowstorms and temperatures in the negatives when you can finally enjoy the weather you were dying for?
3. Family
I know your Uncle Bobby is kinda creepy and invasive. I know your younger cousin is in his annoying little kid stage. I know your grandma scolds you for your skirts being "too short." But somehow on Thanksgiving, they all seem to shut up and act like a normal family. Maybe it's because they have turkey stuffed in their mouth, but I like to hope it's because of the spirit of the holiday.
4. Homecoming
For those of us not living at home, Thanksgiving is one of the sole reasons schools and employers give time off. That means Thanksgiving is a pretty big homecoming for most people, perhaps on elf the first times being home and with your whole family in months. This holiday is clearly special for that reason alone.
5. Reflection
If we break the word "Thanksgiving" into two, it is literally compromised of "thanks" and "giving." Thanksgiving is really a beautiful time of year because it's the one day a year we should all shut the hell up, stop complaining all day, and realize all the amazing things we have going on in our lives. If anything, let this Thanksgiving be an experiment for you and reflect on your own life: the people you care about, the activities you love to do, the things you've accomplished or changed about yourself since last Thanksgiving.
6. Tradition
If Thanksgiving is anything, it's traditional. The amazing part about that tradition, however, is how it differs from each family and each home. Everyone has their special dishes they make, or special seating arrangements, or specific activities they perform before and after dinner. Thanksgiving is a time to honor the traditions made between family members, and start new ones with the new people in our lives.
7. The Parade
Living just outside the city my whole life, the Thanksgiving Day Parade has always been something I've appreciated. And not just because of the amazing floats, organizations and people who participate, but because of the logic behind the whole thing and the fact that it actually gets done every year. I can't even imagine what the people who coordinate this thing go through: the floats, the sponsors, the people, the filming, the fact that all of this is happening in the absolute busiest place in the country with some of the grumpiest, crabbiest and rudest people in the country?! Do you know how complicated it is just to get myself into the city, let alone every single person who wants to go in and watch the damn thing? And at the same time, I'm still able to get my coffee and bagel in time to see it all? God Bless NYC.
8. 'Murica
Thanksgiving is the quintessential American holiday. It's the story of our early settlers coming together with the native people in harmony, beginning one of the greatest American traditions of all time. There's no religious background involved so you know everyone around you at school, work, the gym, the coffee shop, the grocery store and anywhere else you go will be celebrating and excited. It's like the whole country puts everything aside to celebrate this one day together, and in today's America, I think it's a pretty special day.
9. Football
And for the essential American holiday, there is the perfect American game. What could be more American than stuffing your face with Thanksgiving food and then sitting on the couch watching a football game? You can't make this stuff up, people.
10. The best sleep of your life
You know that once you inhale all that turkey and finish the last bites of your pumpkin pie, the food coma will soon settle in. And that sleep, the Sleep of Thanksgiving Night, will be the most restful, peaceful sleep you'll get all year. Which will come in handy with the next listing...
11. Black Friday
Who doesn't love waking up at 4 a.m. and spending all day fighting over half-priced clothing at their local mall?!
12. Leftovers
I hope you liked Thanksgiving dinner, because you're gonna be eating it for every meal for the next week! Step up your leftover game this year with some fun and creative recipes to do with left overs, like Thanksgiving grilled cheeses, ramen, or even pizza. It's the meal that just keeps on going!
I hope reading about all these amazing traits has helped remind you about how amazing Thanksgiving is, and that it's a holiday you definitely shouldn't skip over. Christmas will come, but for right now, enjoy the time reflecting on yourself, the people you'll be celebrating with, and all the amazing meals you're about to be eating so soon.
