Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays. There is all the food and family of Christmas without the pressure of gifts and the stress that the holiday season inevitably brings. Despite its questionable historical origins I think Thanksgiving, at the core of what it represents, is something that all people can and should subscribe to. I’ve always loved that Thanksgiving is the one day of the year specifically carved out to remind me how I should be every day: appreciative for all of the incredible opportunities and gifts I’ve been given in life. Arguably every day should be a mini “thanksgiving”, but the stresses of school, life, and work often get in the way.
As part of my own personal tradition every November, I do a “November Thankfulness Campaign” where I make a status on Facebook every day about something that I’m thankful for. The tradition started when I was a sophomore in high school. My friend’s mom was doing a thankfulness campaign of her own and it struck me as a wonderful and relatively easy way to get myself in the spirit. Over the past five years my thankfulness campaign has evolved with me. Reminding myself to be thankful has taken on new dimensions as I realize I want to do more—volunteering or donating—or something else to show my appreciation. My point in sharing this isn’t to make me seem holier-than-thou, it’s just to say that Thanksgiving, and for me the month of November, provides an opportunity to do something good for yourself and for the world/community around you. It’s kind of like New Year’s just with better food.
So as you travel home over the next few days remember to appreciate the innumerable ways that your life has been made better by someone or something else and send that positive energy back into the world. Don’t forget to eat your fair share of turkey and mashed potatoes and of course put up with your “crazy” uncle’s dumb jokes. It’s nice to think that families and friends all over the country are sharing in the same gratitude—for turkey, football, and awkward family interactions—as you.
P.S. Five bucks to anyone who actually does this and reports back to me: http://www.buzzfeed.com/joannaborns/thanksgiving-drinking-game