Halloween has come and gone, and now everyone's onto the next holiday: Christmas. Stores are breaking out the holly jolly decorations and "Jingle Bell Rock" is playing on the radio. Christmas cards and invites to ugly sweater parties are sure to arrive in a few weeks' time. No other time of the year can compare with the holiday season.
But wait, something's off. In the back of your mind, your brain is telling you that you're forgetting something. What could it be? Oh, that's right. Between switching your devil horns for santa hats and jack-o-lanterns for Christmas trees, you somehow forgot all about one of the best holidays: Thanksgiving.
Don't be ashamed. The sad truth is everyone seems to have forgotten the great Turkey Day. Stores are hardly even selling Thanksgiving decorations. Thanksgiving used to be the gateway into the holiday season, but now it seems as if Halloween stole that job. With all the hustle and bustle of the holidays, Thanksgiving gives us a chance to sit back and enjoy time with our family and be thankful for our lives. We shouldn't try to skip such an important day.
Stores and malls are taking full advantage of the "skip Thanksgiving" movement. Santa even started making appearances at malls across the country, disobeying the cardinal rule to wait until after Thanksgiving. Clothing stores sparkle with holiday decorations and clothes. Primark has an entire wall of tacky Christmas sweaters for sale. If you go to the seasonal section of Target, you'll see an aisle half-price Halloween candy, and the next three aisles are full of Christmas decorations, crafts, etc. Turkeys and cornucopias are nowhere in sight.
Everyone is treating Thanksgiving as such a trivial holiday. Halloween gets more attention, mostly because of the free candy and creative costumes. But what is the moral meaning behind Halloween, if there is any at all?
Thanksgiving gives us Americans a chance to embrace our culture and remember the past. Even though the history has been slightly altered to meet our expectations, the theme of thankfulness resonates. Thanksgiving is more than a remembrance of the "dinner" between the Pilgrims and Native Americans. It's a reason to spend time with family, eat until your belt breaks, and be thankful. It emphasizes giving back to your community, and helping those who are less fortunate. It serves as a reminder to reflect on your life and be gracious for everyone and everything in it.
The entire holiday season is about being with loved ones and having fun. Enjoy your holiday, eat lots of food, but whatever you do and wherever you go, be thankful for Thanksgiving.
