Earlier this week (mid November, keep in mind) my school had already begun putting up a Christmas tree in front of one of our main academic buildings. Previous Christmas decorations had also already started to cover the inside of the building. I was talking with a random classmate when this subject arbitrarily got brought up. I mentioned that I thought it was too early to start decorating for Christmas, and how we needed to give Thanksgiving the respect it deserves as a holiday. She promptly replied with, “Oh…you’re one of those.”

I was a bit caught off guard by this response. What exactly defines, “one of those?” The fact that I find it important to appreciate what I consider an important holiday was seen as strange to someone else. And I feel like that is not uncommon.

I personally have a bit of an issue with how quickly we want to drop everything after Halloween and celebrate Christmas. Of course I love that Christmas time feeling and thoughts of warm fireplaces and hot chocolate. But that fact that people seem to be getting more and more eager to celebrate Christmas every year makes me feel a bit sad.

The reasoning behind this is not necessarily that I have a strong love of celebrating Thanksgiving. Yes, I think it’s an important holiday. Taking a day to specifically sit and reflect on all that we are thankful for is a wonderful concept that we all should take the time to do. My issue arises from how we as people are constantly in a “go, go, go” mindset. Our perpetual eagerness to celebrate the next holiday simply proves how unmindful humans tend to be.

I’ve come to notice this as a trend not only during the holiday season, but each and every day as well. We are always ready for Monday to be Friday, for winter to be summer, for high school to become college. Being so wrapped up in waiting for the next thing, because we believe it will be better, or make us happier, is one of the biggest concepts that is wrong with people.

From personal experience, being mindful and appreciating every moment (good or bad) for what it's worth is one of the simplest ways to feel at peace. Practicing mindfulness allows for more appreciation and less worry.

We can be excited and positive about the future, but convincing ourselves that we will feel better or be happier in the next stage (whatever that may be) is a direct path towards disappointment.

Yes, I am excited for Christmas, but I am just as excited for Thanksgiving to come first. My humble advice is to savor the moments we have everyday and take time to appreciate the now, because it's all that is ever guaranteed.

To close in the Thanksgiving spirit, I will end with the wise words of Louis C.K. himself and remind you all that, “The meal isn’t over when I’m full, the meal is over when I hate myself."

And when you find yourself taking that post-Thanksgiving meal nap, feeling like you want to die from your level of fullness, don’t forget to appreciate it for all it's worth.