As the holiday season begins every year, one special day is always overlooked. Each year after Halloween ends, the Christmas spirit in everyone wakes up, causing everyone to forget that we still have a month of fall left and another holiday to celebrate with our friends and family: Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving is a true staple in our holiday season every year, yet we all jump right into decorating for Christmas on Nov. 1. It truly feels like we, as a society, have lost our Thanksgiving spirit, and maybe even forgotten the best part of the holiday entirely.
The best thing about Thanksgiving is that you do not have to do anything. At all. You just show up, eat the most incredible meal, hangout with your loved ones and fall asleep on the couch. There’s no stressful panic the day before when you realize you forgot to get your brother a gift.
A stress free holiday is what holidays are all about, being with your favorite people and just enjoying the day. Watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and football while trying to avoid any questions about how school is going from your grandparents.
The timing of Thanksgiving is like your own built in brain break. You just got done with midterms and you’re starting to remember you have these huge finals coming up, and then you get a whole week off to just relax. Your biggest worry becomes what are your plans for the Wednesday before Thanksgiving with your hometown friends.
I asked my friend what her favorite part of Thanksgiving is, and she said pecan pie. Nothing else, just the fact that her grandmother only ever makes the pie for this holiday. She has a great point, the food on Thanksgiving is why we are all so excited for dinner time to hit.
The combination of turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy and stuffing is to die for. There is no meal like Thanksgiving dinner. I don’t know if it’s the anticipation of the meal or just the fact that the food is that good, but it never fails to taste amazing each year.
Whether your favorite part is the cranberries, sweet potatoes, or even just the turkey, there is something for everyone at Thanksgiving dinner. Being thankful is also a huge part of the holiday, even though it is in the name, it can sometimes be forgotten why we are all together.
With no exams and no spending money, Thanksgiving is just a chill relaxing day that is a total brain break from the world. My personal favorite part of the holiday is just being reminded how lucky we all are. It is so special to have a house full of family.
Not everyone gets to go home to a family who wants to spend Thanksgiving together each year, so I like to think of the holiday as a day that shows us how much we overlook in everyday life.
Thanksgiving always holds a special place in my heart, with Christmas coming in at a close second. This year, don’t forget about the food and love that comes with Thanksgiving.