With the weather getting colder and the Holiday season fast approaching, people all over the world are getting ready to celebrate their cultures holidays. No matter what you celebrate, I think we can all agree on the fact that every year stores, malls, restaurants, and other buildings start hanging up the Christmas decorations way too early. Now don’t get me wrong, seeing those decorations makes me feel jollier than Santa Clause on Christmas Day, but hello people are you forgetting something. We are skipping a holiday! And after Halloween this year I saw so many variations of the October 31st vs November 1st meme/trend, that I felt inclined to list why thanksgiving should not be overlooked.
1. The Food
Don’t lie. Come thanksgiving you put on those stretchy waste band pants so that you can engorge yourself in way too many servings (I take it back there is no such thing as too many servings on Thanksgiving) of Thanksgiving food. Whether your favorite is the mash potatoes or the stuffing or if you’re like me and it’s the desserts, you are probably loving that food way too much to be thinking about Christmas. This is basically a Holiday about eating
2. The Thanks
Call it corny but going around the table to say thanks is one of my favorite things about the Holiday. It’s a time where you get to relish in how much you love your family and give each member a moment to speak on what they are so thankful for. Realizing how lucky I am in life and how I have so much to be grateful for just puts me in such a good mood.
3. The Annual Macy’s Day Parade
Now you may not rush down in the morning to watch the parade like you would to race to get to your presents, but watching the Macys Day Parade holds such a sense of tradition that the 5 year old in me makes sure I wake up early for it every year. I love seeing the huge balloons of my favorite shows when I was little or seeing the performers and artists on their floats. And I almost always stick around after to watch the annual national dog show, cause who doesn’t like puppies and dogs showing off their stuff to top off your Thanksgiving morning!
4. The Break
If you’re like me and attend UNH, the University of No Holidays, or other schools that don’t have days off, you appreciate the first break that we get since moving in so much. This 5-day break lets us rejuvenate and see friends and family (and eat) and recharge before coming back to tackle finals and the end of the semester.
5. The Food (again)
I think this deserves two spots on my Thanksgiving list. This one though goes out to my fellow college students. This is a day of no over-processed dining hall food, and no spending money that we don’t have on groceries. We just get to go home and get not just a home cooked meal but a feast of turkey, mash potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin or apple pie. Ugh how many days till Thanksgiving break again?
6. The Football
Whether it’s before, during, or after dinner there is football to watch ALL DAY LONG. This Thanksgiving the Eagles will be playing the Lions at 12:30pm, the Panthers vs. the Cowboys at 4:30pm, and the Bears play the Packers at 8:30pm.
7. Black Friday
After engorging on food and giving into the food coma that comes with it, this feast and sleep prepares you with the energy to wake up at 12 and fight the crowds to get those Black Friday deals.