I will admit that Thanksgiving is not my favorite holiday... could I say it's my least favorite holiday? Well, I will say that of all the holidays I technically celebrate, it doesn't mean all that much to me. Or at least it doesn't mean what it's supposed to for me.
Thanksgiving doesn't mean a whole lot by itself. What is it? Food, family, and reflecting on being grateful. First of all, the food is nice, but is it worth being excited about a while before the holiday starts? A mark of a holiday for me is how far in advance I'm looking forward to the occasion. I absolutely love cranberry sauce, but am I day dreaming about for at least week or two beforehand? No. I have mostly the same food at Christmas and then a similar feast for Easter. Your food is just not all that special, Thanksgiving.
I have a similar finding for family. I love my family and that includes seeing them at Thanksgiving, but up until I went out of state for college I saw my Thanksgiving crowd all the time. Really it's like any other gathering but then there are a TON of dishes. It just adds a fight over who does what, and if setting or clearing the table really qualifies you to get out of scrubbing like it does for cooking a big dish.
Lastly I must ask, is setting aside a day of being thankful something that redeems Thanksgiving as a holiday? Well ask yourself, do you actually reflect on being thankful? For longer than your family goes around the table to list one thing that sounds nice to be thankful for? It's hard to believe that most Americans are truly thankful for what they have right before they stampede on Black Friday to get what they don't have. I will admit that even if I try to, it's about the same amount of thankfulness I have on any other day. And it still doesn't add to Thanksgiving feeling like a festive holiday.
All that being said I still love Thanksgiving and here's why: it is Black Friday Eve. No, I'm not one of those people that stampedes a mall for good deals. I don't even go out on Black Friday. Yet for me and my family tradition, as soon as you clear your plate for the last time, the Christmas season is allowed to begin. I am one of those people who will avert my eyes from Christmas displays in stores and from Christmas lights on houses before Thanksgiving dinner. If at all avoidable I won't listen to Christmas music. I want to save all these things.
When doing this for a while (as Christmas seems to be coming earlier and earlier,) a lot of temptation, and anticipation builds. Finally that last plate is set by the sink and everything Christmasy can break free. It is extremely satisfying to hear the first notes of "Marshmallow World," when you've been waiting for weeks and get to relearn why you love that song so much. It's satisfying knowing that you've waited and now have full permission. It's made my Christmas spirit much stronger.
Last year I was at a new house full of strangers my aunt and I knew through one neighbor. With being more guest than host I wasn't going to blast Dean Martin from my phone once dinner was over. Yet, I will always remember how once my plate was cleared I watched the sunset through giant windows overlooking a Connecticut beach, and a wave of happiness washed over me. It was time. Now I could let myself freely think of my favorite songs. The Christmas season had begun.
That is what I'm looking forward to on Thursday, and what I've been looking forward to for weeks. Am I excited for cranberry sauce? Of course, but ultimately I'm ecstatic for dinner to be over, and while I'm comfortably full of fall foods, breaking open the first Christmas song. Then maybe I'll scroll through photos of Christmas trees to change my wallpaper, ultimately knowing that I did a holiday "correctly" and can now fully appreciate store displays.
Yes, I am looking forward to Thanksgiving. Although is it just me, or if I'm excited for a holiday just to be over, isn't that just a little bit sad for that holiday? This is why I jokingly call Thanksgiving "Black Friday Eve."
