Thanksgiving is my favorite time of year. November is my favorite time of year. The crisp chill in the air, crunching leaves, ability to wear big scarves and boots, and ugh, Starbucks holiday drinks. In November, my blood becomes nothing but peppermint mocha.
Thanksgiving is my very favorite holiday, which as I’ve found is kind of an unpopular opinion. The reason I love it so much is simple: food, family, and tradition. Thanksgiving gives us a day to turn off, and just be thankful for the past year while making pies, and green bean casserole, and setting the table while listening to the parade, watching football, or, in my family, the Westminster Dog Show. So if you still aren’t on board with Thanksgiving being a fantastic holiday, here are some reasons why I love it so much.
Tradition
Thanksgiving has come a long way from the days of the pilgrims and the Native Americans. Yes, there are some historical inaccuracies with the history of Thanksgiving we are taught in elementary school, but that doesn’t matter. Thanksgiving is the one day out of the year where you aren’t meant to go to work, school, or really anywhere but home. And if you’re a home-body like I am, you can really appreciate this fact!
Something I love about Thanksgiving is the traditions that have emerged from family to family in the last few decades. They may vary between households, but there is still something. For me, every Thanksgiving morning I wake up early and sit in front of the TV to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Oh man, I love this parade. I’ve loved it since I was little. There is something so magical about the idea of these giant floats rolling down the main streets of New York City. Celebrities, organizations, performers, and spectators from all of the country come together to put on a fantastic show that ends with Santa Claus coming down 34th street. That signifies the start of the Christmas season. Well, in my house anyway.
Other than the parade, there is the dog show that my whole family loves, the football games that none of my family ever truly cares about but feels like we need to watch, and everyone preparing certain dishes, or setting the table, etc. Thanksgiving is the most tradition filled holiday in my house.
Food
There is so much food on Thanksgiving day. Lucky for me, the staple foods are some of my favorites -- ever. Sweet potatoes, stuffing, green bean casserole, turkey and gravy, PIE, the list goes on. I love it all, and I just want it all in my mouth hole always.
Thanksgiving is also one of the only days of the year you can stuff yourself to the brim with food, and no one can judge you. Prepare your pants.
The following day…
You all know what I’m about to say. Black Friday. That day after Thanksgiving that all the crazy bargain hunters make their way to the mall to get the best deals for all their Christmas shopping. Thanksgiving is just prep night for the serious calories you’re about to burn fighting for that last television or running from store to store to get all the door busters. There comes a point of insanity on Black Friday that you forget who you’re shopping for, and just find yourself with bags full of freebies and like a thousand bottles of lotion or candles. “It's okay,” you tell yourself. “It was all a deal!” And you run to the next store, eye twitching all the way.
Thanksgiving is, and probably always will be, my favorite holiday. There's so much to love, so much to be thankful for, and so much to recognize in our lives that dedicating a whole day just to being thankful seems really appropriate. I hope you all have a warm, turkey-filled, safe, and happy Thanksgiving!
