It is officially the Holiday Season which means the season of graciousness and giving is FINALLY upon us! Personally, since the changing of the seasons began I have already noticed the wonderful effect it has already had on people being a little bit more gracious and a little bit more thankful. Although I love this time of year and the positive energy it is bringing to people I cannot help but dread when the holiday season will leave us yet again and take all of its thankful cheer with it.

It is true that compared to any other time of year Thanksgiving and the holidays are definitely the most thankful and gracious, with the rest of the year having people act pretty miserable. But why is it that we are so happy to be thankful during this season of thanksgiving and so quick to be so selfish any other time of year? Why don’t we make an effort to practice being thankful beyond Thanksgiving?

Obviously, people are more thankful during Thanksgiving because of the specific holiday. You can’t help but be almost forced to appreciate what really matters, especially when sitting around a table of family and friends expressing what they are thankful for. And after Thanksgiving, we have arguably the biggest holiday of the year, Christmas which alone will leave most people feeling pretty blessed. But, whether you have a family or not, receive gifts or don’t, we should continue being thankful because we have so much to be thankful for and the holiday season is just one thing that pushes us to recognize that.

In my opinion, one of the most beautiful gifts the holiday season brings us is an appreciation for what really matters. With appreciation for the important things, we are able to set aside our entitled attitudes to practice being more thankful and gracious. After all, the majority of people my age are notoriously ungrateful. The millennial generation is known to be one of the least thankful and gracious generations simply due to their feelings of entitlement. And that is why I think the feeling of entitlement and privilege alone is one of the things that really brings us down as individuals. It does nothing other than hold us back. It causes us to take advantage of the quality people and individuals in our life and blinds us from the true joy that thankfulness brings. It is because of this selfish attitude that we truly struggle with being thankful beyond Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving is the one time of year that specifically is supposed to bring us together and remind us of the importance of thankfulness and unity. But above all, it is supposed to open our eyes and remind us to not only be thankful for one Thursday a year, but to be thankful all year round. To look and find the little blessings in every day. To truly value the people and things in your life, and to practice being thankful beyond Thanksgiving.