It is a very popular cultural phenomenon to wake up on the morning after Halloween, and declare that November 1st is the start of the Christmas season. People begin to post Christmas countdowns, they break out the Christmas music playlists, they even begin to decorate for the holiday season. I however am not one of those people. When we declare that November 1st is the beginning of the "Holiday Season" we are completely skipping over one of my most beloved Holidays: Thanksgiving.
For me, when I wake up on November 1st, it begins a month of reflection that always culminates on that third Thursday of November. The month of November is a time to count our blessings, and remember what we are thankful for.
There is a certain charm to Thanksgiving day. You wake up to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. You snack all day waiting up to your amazing dinner. You see your family members argue about everything from politics to football. But at the end of the day, when you're famished and tired, you sit down for a delicious meal, and this meal makes all the tiring parts of the day worth it.
The holiday season as a whole may look very different this year due to the pandemic. However, I believe that because of COVID-19, we have more of a need for Thanksgiving than ever. This has been an exhausting year. Many people have lost their jobs, many have even lost loved ones. We have spent more alone time than ever, which means even if it is a smaller event than normal, we can be even more thankful for those we can be around on the holiday.
Because of all the recent negativity in the world, that only increases the need to focus on what we are grateful for in life. Even the smallest of gratitudes should not go unnoticed because of how much has been lost in the past year.
I still love Christmas as much as the next teenage girl. However, I propose that this year, we dedicate the month of November to Thanksgiving, as it should be. We can spend the month reflecting on all of the little things that there are to be grateful for over this past year. We can celebrate seeing family that may not have been seen in a while. And we can appreciate the overall charm of Autumn that comes with Thanksgiving before December begins and we move forward to Christmas.
