Like that first slice on a loaf of bread, the middle child of holidays, Thanksgiving is one of the most unappreciated holidays of the year.
We’ve all seen it, stores are stocked with costumes, giant bags of candy, Halloween decorations all around… then after October 31st and sometimes sooner, out of nowhere, we are bombarded with Christmas lights, Christmas trees, blow-up Santa Clauses, snowmen, and your occasional clearance sale of all the Halloween stuff nobody bought.
People usually get rid of their Halloween decorations just to move in their Christmas trees on November 1st. Radio stations, T.V., and even the internet, they all change their programing from spooky to jolly in a blink. One day we might see Hocus Pocus or The Nightmare Before Christmas, then the next day they’re rolling Home Alone marathons and The Grinch. We stop seeing scary videos and pranks on our timelines and move on to the invasions of Christmas memes overnight.
Frankly, I am a food lover so it’s only natural Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. The perfect roasted turkey, the turkey stuffing, the mashed potatoes with gravy, the mac-and-cheese with bacon…I’ll cry if I keep going.
The point is, Thanksgiving is a great holiday, the food is bomb, and we need to appreciate this a little more.
More important than food, Thanksgiving is a time to be grateful for everything we have, for the people who love us, for those who are in our lives, and for the ones who left too because whether they were beneficial to our lives or not, most certainly they taught us something new about them or ourselves. It is also a time to reflect on those who sacrificed more than we can imagine for us to be here today; yes I’m talking about Native Americans.
We all know the history behind this and although some Native Americans still rightfully feel the animosity behind this holiday, the importance of it towards our progressive history is undeniable. Honor our Native Americans and be thankful for their sacrifices.
Speaking of sacrifices, as college students, we have been sacrificing ourselves these past two weeks before Thanksgiving break to finish off the semester with a bang, even if it means getting into a marathon of all-nighters to save our GPAs. We need to take this time to rest and be grateful for the opportunities we have, and for being able to get through these struggling times in the semester.
So, let’s pause the Christmas talk, the movies, and the music for like a week and focus on what’s important, getting home to your mom’s cooking and bringing back all the leftovers with you.