It’s the most wonderful time of the year, With the kids jingle-belling, And everyone telling you, Be of good cheer…
Ok, wait a moment, wait a moment… it’s not that season yet.
After Halloween is over, everyone looks to December excited for Santa, presents, and good cheer. It’s only as a last minute thought that people actually remember the holiday in November. (Remember that month after the month with Halloween and before the month with Christmas?) Perhaps, even more important than the month is the fact that Thanksgiving takes place during it.
Thanksgiving is a wonderful time full of happiness and cheer (and stress for those cooking…). It is a time to look forward too, rather than just beyond towards the next month.
Thanksgiving is a time to spend with friends and family. You get to spend time with loved ones, which is not very often for people at college. Unless you live close, holidays are pretty much the only time in which we can see our family. It is also the only time in which you can see friends from home. Thanksgiving is more than just a break from the daily drudge. It is also a time to be with the people you love.
Having said that, thanksgiving is also a time to breathe. Between work, classes, and extracurriculars, there is little time to just sit still and enjoy life. With the holiday break, you can just relax and have some free time (even if it is just during homework breaks). While there may be stress with either cooking or relatives, all it does is provide an excuse to work out some of that aggression through touch football or a good game of Scrabble. When that does not work, there is always Miracle on 34th Street to help keep everyone distracted. Then, peace can resume.
While we may be thankful for many things, the food on Thanksgiving is probably the one that we are most appreciative of. Turkey day (as it is sometimes called) was based on the theoretical idea of the pilgrims and the Native Americans eating together, and during the Great Depression, FDR and then the American Public took the idea and ran with it. No matter how you look at it, they had a pretty good idea. (It was such a good idea that the Canadians stole it too.) Whether you celebrate traditionally or with your own family’s take, the food at Thanksgiving tends to be pretty delicious and definitely worth getting seconds on.
This holiday also contains one of the biggest (and, in my opinion, one of the best) parades in the country. The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is held every year in New York City and broadcast by NBC through out the country. With giant balloons, floats, musical performance, and Broadway numbers, it is a wonderful experience to watch. What a better way to start the day than with an exciting event such as the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade!
Thanksgiving Day is not a day to forget. While its origins may remain controversial, it has transcended its origins to becoming a holiday meaning so much more. It is a time to be thankful for everything that we have and everyone that we love. While it will probably never be like the Norman Rockwell painting synonymous with the holiday, Thanksgiving is still a memorable time to celebrate with family, friends, and food.
Photo Sources:
http://www.aldiko.com/blog/wp-…
http://www.moviefanfare.com/wp…
http://consumer.media.seagate….
http://www.kveller.com/blog/wp…
http://www.handmakerofthings.c…