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Thanksgiving-The Forgotten Holiday

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Cincinnati chapter.

It’s no secret that Thanksgiving is the forgotten holiday pretty much every year. Once October 31st passes and the excitement of Halloween dies down, November 1st seems to mark the beginning of Christmas. Neglecting the turkey-loving holiday.

Think about it…..Black Friday is now starting on Thursday evening; most families haven’t even sat down for dinner at this point! 

Let’s face it, for us college kids Thanksgiving is viewed as a much needed break rather than a national holiday. Not to mention, there are no “Thanksgiving” decorations to hang throughout our homes, unless we have children in the family who are pros at designing hand made turkeys. Plus there are no “Thanksgiving” songs to get stuck in our heads during the season, like Mariah’s All I Want for Christmas is You.

Is it that Thanksgiving isn’t a big deal to us, or is it that it isn’t commercialized enough that we choose to ignore it? Perhaps it’s both. Reminisce on the various holiday commercials you have witnessed throughout the years. It seems like the excitement for that upcoming holiday revolves around major sales, classic movies, and festive treats.

 Everyone has his or her favorite Christmas movie. From Frosty to It’s a Wonderful Life, the choices are endless. Then everyone has a favorite Halloween candy, who doesn’t love a nice Snickers Bar? Yes, there is the annual Black Friday sale. However, that doesn’t get you pumped for Thanksgiving, it mostly gets you excited to get your Christmas shopping done earlier.

Perhaps the hype around Thanksgiving is nonexistent because it’s a holiday about giving instead of receiving.

This is the one holiday where you don’t have to buy a single gift for anyone; you just have to enjoy their company.

It’s time to forget about material goods and actually spend time with our families!

Maybe the lack of TV time dedicated to Thanksgiving is actually a blessing. The little commercialization is to reemphasize the meaning of the holiday. That is to be thankful for those around us and appreciative of all the opportunities given to us. 

Hello! I am a current sophomore here at The University of Cincinnati where I am pursuing my Bachelor's Degree in journalism with an e-media minor. I am also planning on getting a PR certificate as well. When I'm not writing or watching the news (I know, I'm a grandma) you can find me eating a burger or drinking a nice glass of Kroger chocolate milk.