When I was growing up, my mother could not stress enough about how extremely important Thanksgiving was. We would help clean the house and cook Thanksgiving dinner, but it was always my favorite holiday.
Halloween/spooky season is officially over, and almost everyone I know has posted their "All I Want for Christmas" Snapchat stories and I get it. The weather's going to start getting cool and windy, Christmas/Holiday presents are just around the corner, and New Year's Eve is not far behind. But I think we're forgetting one of the most important holidays of the year.
We spend time together on Thanksgiving to share our gratitude to those who are there for us and help us throughout the years. I know that there may be people who have absent parents or relatives, but that doesn't mean you can't be grateful for the ones around you.
Family (in the most open of terms) is the most important aspect of Thanksgiving, but we all know what happens right after Thanksgiving is Black Friday. I still remember my first Black Friday without my family.
I had just turned 15 that year and my mother allowed me to go Black Friday shopping with my best friend. We went to the mall and I spent 90% of the $300 my mother had given me for the night. It was so much fun that my best friend and I kept the tradition going. We've been going Black Friday shopping every year since, but things have changed.
Every year, Black Friday becomes earlier and earlier that it literally starts on Thanksgiving afternoon. I understand that Black Friday can offer some great things for the best prices, but we ultimately pay a price when it comes to family.
The family may also be together on Christmas or during any kind of holiday you may celebrate, but we always expect some sort of gift or money. That doesn't usually happen on Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving is about being together and holding on to your loved ones, no matter what relationship you have with them. Family, friends, significant others, pets, etc. What's most important is you feel grateful for those around you and they feel just as grateful to you.
Take a moment to enjoy Thanksgiving and slowly transition yourself into December's holidays, because nothing beats the joy of being important to another person or pet.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
