We all know that middle child stereotype of being the forgotten one, the one overlooked, the one who has to go above and beyond to get recognition. As the third of four, I am a middle child and I can totally see where these "myths" stemmed. In the Holiday family, Thanksgiving is the middle child. Falling between Halloween and Christmas, Thanksgiving is always overlooked and I am here to stand up for the forgotten member of the Holidays.
As soon as Halloween is over, or even sometimes before then, the stores are stocked full of Christmas goodies and decorations. Excuse me!!! What about Thanksgiving?? Poor, poor Thanksgiving gives it his all, but that is simply not enough. He goes above and beyond with a feast of food: turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, gravy, yams, pumpkin pie, and whatever else is included in each family's tradition (for my family, we always have Dino Chicken Nuggets... long story), yet somehow, this extravagant meal just doesn't cut it.
The holidays have high standards, and the flamboyant costumes of Halloween along with the endless presents of Christmas overshadow poor old Thanksgiving. There are songs written about both his older brother Halloween (think "Monster Mash", "This is Halloween", and all the random songs you learned in music class in the third grade) and his younger brother Christmas (I don't think I need to list any Christmas Carols, do I?). Movies are dedicated to his brothers, and Thanksgiving gets nothing.
People are more excited for his cousin, Black Friday than for him! So this year, let's give Thanksgiving a break, cut him some slack, let him be recognized as he deserves. Wait until after his time of the year has passed before blasting Christmas Carols and putting up your tree (did I mention his younger brother Christmas has a tree named after him??) and give him the attention he deserves.
Don't worry, Thanksgiving, I will always be there for you.
