In recent history, it has become customary to simply neglect the existence of Thanksgiving, with shops jumping straight from Halloween to Christmas. After Oct. 31, unsold Halloween goods go on clearance, and faux fir trees are erected in its place. Ornaments and tree toppers gets stocked on shelves, with the occasional sprinkling of Yiddish holiday items. But all in all, we can agree that Black Friday and Cyber Monday involves more preparation and anticipation than the actual Thanksgiving day, with some even going as far as to forgoing Thanksgiving entirely in favor of camping out in front of Best Buy.
But I believe that Thanksgiving deserves so much more than that. Thanksgiving deserves to be not only recognized as an official holiday, but treated as one. We already have a Thanksgiving break. Why not make it a little festive?
1. It's dedicated to being thankful.
Thankful.
This is the one day set aside every year for the specific reason of recognizing your privileged place in life. For the sake of everyone who could only dream of possessing what you have, show a little thanks.
2. You get to be with family!
Apart from Christmas, this is the one day that you can reliably count on your great aunt Susan to swing by with a bright smile and comments on how tall you've grown. She might even be excellent at making casseroles.
3. Friendsgiving
A full day spent with your closest friends, or, as I like to call it, your chosen family, over takeout and cheap drinks with a heart full of gratitude. What could possibly be better?
4. There's something for everyone.
Don't like turkey? Good thing there's mash. You're vegan? Good thing there're green beans. The truth is, your Thanksgiving table will be so incredibly loaded with food that even the pickiest of eaters will be subject to a foodgasm.
5. Nostalgic vibes will most definitely give you the feels
Hearth and home, two things associated with warmth and coziness, are the two most emphasized qualities of Thanksgiving. This is for good reason, as no matter where you are and who you're with, nostalgia will definitely swallow you whole on this holiday of nostalgia.
6. There's no such thing as a Thanksgiving dress code.
Unlike Halloween, where you're expected to put a certain amount of effort into your appearance, and Christmas, a holiday where parties run rampant, and flashy red and white clothing becomes the norm, Thanksgiving can be as dressy or as laid-back as you make it. There's no customary tradition regarding what to wear on this holiday.
7. The decorations are adorable.
Be it salt shaker pilgrims or faux cornucopias, this holiday serves as both welcome break to the flashy razzle-dazzle of Halloween and a parting nod to autumn, and the decorations reflect this.
8. It's not overly commercialized.
Capitalism is a blessing, but in the case of many holidays, it has served as a curse. For example, Valentine´s Day has become so incredibly commercialized that the previously-religious holiday is now lo longer associated with religion, but instead, chocolate, cards, flowers and anything that would make your manifestation of love for your significant other as showy as possible. Thanksgiving is simply about the people around you and the food you´re sharing.
9. For many, it involves a whole week off.
As a student, I know how grueling the approaching end of semester is. As considering how much my father complains about having to deal with yearly reports, I can safely assume that November is a busy time for everybody. What better than a break from it all, surrounded by the people we love?
10. So. Many. Pies.
Pumpkin pies reign supreme on this day, but that wont stop anyone from bringing over their peach cobblers, apple pies, blueberry cobblers and cherry pies, all loaded with a heaping tower of whipped cream. I know there´s a long standing debate regarding the superiority of either pie or cake, but Thanksgiving is most certainly the pie day . . . second after pi day, of course.
11. It's all inclusive.
As Thanksgiving is not religious, this is a holiday that everybody can celebrate regardless of religion or ethnicity. Legend has it that this holiday was borne out of the Plymouth Indians helping the Mayflower Pilgrims, and that the first Thanksgiving was a feast of festivities for the coming together of two groups. So really, Thanksgiving is about the unity of people in the face of love, which disregards all labels and embraces humanity.
