The weather is (finally) getting colder, the leaves have fallen and the red Starbucks cup has made its entrance for the season -- Christmas is right around the corner. Santa is in the malls, people are already starting to crowd stores in search of the perfect gifts for their loved ones and are decking the halls with glitter and tinsel galore. There's just one problem. The Forgotten Holiday has been glossed over once again. Thanksgiving, smacked right in the middle between the Halloween horrors and Christmas spirit, has already been forgotten and it hasn't even happened yet. Now, don't get me wrong, I love Christmas music, gift-giving and the overall spirit of Christmas just as much as the next person, but what about Thanksgiving? What about sitting around the dinner table with friends and family saying what you're thankful for?
Unlike other holidays, Thanksgiving is 100 percent about family and being thankful for what you have without the giving/receiving of gifts or candy. And though Thanksgiving doesn't have the religious importance of other major holidays, it is a celebration of how hard our ancestors worked to get us here and survive that first, brutal winter. My memories of Thanksgiving are some of the best from my childhood. The food is the delicious, with so much to choose from: turkey, pies, macaroni and cheese (shoutout to my aunt, Anne, because hers is the best), potatoes, stuffing, casseroles, the list goes on and on. But even if you forget about the food and even though there are no presents or candy or costumes for the holiday, Thanksgiving has always been a special time to me. It's a holiday everyone gets to sit down and enjoy a relaxing time with family. There are no worries or scheduling of who gets to open presents first or who found the most Easter eggs and while all these things are great, they just don't compare to the time spent with family, just enjoying one another's company.
Before you get completely immersed in the Christmas season, don't leave out Thanksgiving. Slow down and take the time to appreciate those around you and give thanks, because there is so much to be thankful for.
