Everyone regards Thanksgiving as a family holiday, but what is to be said for those who spend Thanksgiving alone?

Thanksgiving is a time to be thankful, a time to be loved. The holiday is most closely associated with family dinners, kids running around, and your significant other buttering up to your parents while talking about football. But what do you do if you spend your Thanksgiving alone?

The central theme around Thanksgiving happens to be family and the idea that surrounds a family. Thanksgiving commercials have a nice matching set of parents, carbon copy siblings, and even a few dogs. We are depicted as perfect people with perfect lives but you and I both know that's not the case.

Some people lose their families, some families aren't supportive, and other people just pull away for reasons unknown. No matter the case, it can be harrowing not getting to feel the same as everyone else on Thanksgiving. I know sometimes you'd like to stop tip toeing around the family questions or the Thanksgiving plans.

The truth is, there are many of us who spend Thanksgiving alone eating pizza or McDonalds while watching our favorite Christmas movies. I know Thanksgiving can be a tad depressing. But it really doesn't have to be.

It's okay to eat a pint of ice cream instead of turkey, or it's okay to make a Thanksgiving dinner for one. You don't need a significant other. You don't need the pretty perfect families on the commercials because those don't exist.

Instead, be grateful and thankful for all that you have. I hope you do not wallow in what you don't have. From these feelings is where you will find your joy. No matter the circumstance, there is good in every situation. At least you know you can't get into an argument over politics, or have to fight for the remote.

There are perks to not having a Thanksgiving that resembles those depicted throughout the season. You just need to find them, and I bet they can start with the fact that you don't have to share a pecan pie with anyone. I know that's what I'd look forward to the most.

Whether you spend your holidays alone or surrounded by family, remember that you reap what you sow. Watch those Christmas movies, be yourself, and be grateful for the life you've been given. The rest will fall into place.