I am a firm believer that the Christmas season comes AFTER Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving deserves to be recognized! Granted, there is a scarcity of Thanksgiving movies and catchy songs, besides "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving." Parents don't play Turkey on a Shelf, and one of the only ways to decorate is with a giant cone shaped basket filled with fruit, leaves, and nuts. But you will not find me decorating any trees or listening to any sort of festive music until after the third Thursday of November. I refuse to hang up any sort of wreath or holiday garland until after I eat my turkey and watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

By no means do I hate Christmas. I absolutely adore the Christmas season. I love the traditions my family have, like decorating our tree while blaring Christmas music throughout the house. I love the Christmas lights I see around my childhood neighborhood; the good, the bad, and the absolutely horrendous. I love the idea of a white Christmas. But let’s face it, the chances of snow in Memphis when we actually want it is like finding two identical snowflakes: pretty much impossible. I love taking family pictures by the fireplace before church on Christmas Eve. My grandparents come over and we eat a simple dinner, of course, followed by exchanging gifts. When we were younger, my brother and sister and I would have a race to rip off the wrapping paper at lightening speeds. Now we've become a little more civilized, mainly because we got sick of all the paper cuts. And still, when I wake up every Christmas morning I always giggle at the sight of a pile of gifts from Santa. We spend the entire day lounging around the house and enjoying our hot cocoa and Christmas candy.

But as I've grown older, I've found something was missing from Christmas. For me, Thanksgiving is all about spending time with the people in your life that you are most thankful for. For me that is my family. It’s my great aunts and uncles that I only get to see once a year. It’s my cousins that live on the other side of Tennessee, or that have gone off and started their own families. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because I cherish every second of the time I get to spend with my distant family. Not to mention the food. Oh my good golly gosh, the food for Thanksgiving is bae. My aunt brings her secret recipe mac n cheese. My dad makes the turkey, of course with the help of the greatest taste testers in the family (my youngest cousins). My great aunt makes the most delicious sweet potatoes, accompanied by my grandparents’ homegrown vegetables. And my mom has this great thing called vege-all casserole. There are literally no words. Food is the closest thing to my heart besides my family. We sit around and play crazy games like Quelf or Apples to Apples. Thanksgiving is the only time out of the entire year that I get to see part of my family. So naturally, we spend as much of our time together as possible, doing whatever we can to make the meal, game, and evening last longer,

Both holidays have their own traditions tied to them, and each family does their own thing. I’m not trying to bad - mouth people who immediately transition from Halloween to Christmas, but you probably should see a doctor. But this year, don’t forget about the turkey, football, and parade. Don’t skip right to Black Friday shopping. Sit awhile and visit with family. Be with the people in the moment, and never take any of that time for granted. You really never know what you’ve got until it’s gone, so enjoy their company. And don’t even question getting seconds.