Just days ago skeletons and black cats littered the aisles of shopping centers, yet today, merely days after Halloween, those same aisles are stuffed full of Christmas knickknacks and the faint scent of gingerbread.
It seems that the Christmas season is creeping in earlier and earlier every year. The constant promotion of Christmas has caused the total eclipse of the American holiday of giving thanks. Thanksgivings history is unsavory to say the least but there is something to be said about an entire nation bypassing Thanksgiving by going straight from Halloween to Christmas.
Is it the constant commercialization of Christmas that has caused Americans to forget about Thanksgiving, or is it the ugly history of the holiday that caused Americans to check out. Maybe American’s just aren’t as grateful as they used to be. There are numerous theories that have been proposed in hopes of identifying the root of this phenomena but no one really has found a definite source.
Saying that Christmas is commercialized is an understatement, however good advertising cannot alone push a holiday off the face of the Earth. Without consumer participation, there is no way Christmas celebrations would have engulfed Thanksgiving like it did. According to ABCnews the Average American will spend $700 on holiday gifts. This means the average national spending for Christmas in the United States will be somewhere around $465 billion. It’s easy to blame retailors and advertising firms for the commercialization of Christ’s birthday, but consumers are the ones making Christmas celebrations a billion-dollar industry. The fact that American’s spend so much during Christmas holiday season gives retailors enough reason to support the commercialization of Christmas and forgo Thanksgiving.
Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa, December holidays usually hold a special meaning and joyous celebration. The same cannot be said for Thanksgiving. Instead of celebrating faith, giving, or togetherness the history of Thanksgiving is built upon the turbulent and violent origin story of the United States. The holiday is usually masked by a fairytale recreation of history that many see as disrespectful to those who suffered. The truth of the matter is that it is hard to celebrate being thankful on a holiday who’s history subsequently lead to the mass genocide of indigenous people. Perhaps it is easier for American’s to opt out of celebrating Thanksgiving and focus their time on to a “guilt-free” holiday like Christmas instead.
All in all, for whatever reason Thanksgiving became over shadowed by December holiday celebrations. Depending on one’s viewpoint, this can be either a good thing or a bad thing. Are American’s abandoning a disdainful holiday for one that is more respectful, or are they missing an opportunity to be thankful while excessively spending?