Sandwiched in between the two biggest holidays of the year lies Thanksgiving, America’s forever forgotten middle child holiday. While I won’t lie and say that Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday out of the three, I do not stand for the heat my beloved Turkey Day endures.
In my brainstorming of why I think that Thanksgiving gets no love, I came up with two possible explanations. The first reason being that no one knows how to have a “Thanksgiving season.” Halloween is known for scary movies, pumpkin carving, witches and black cats while Christmas gets gingerbread houses, candy canes, Santa Clause and a monopoly over the colors green and red no matter what time of year it is. While the turkey does his best to hold down Thanksgiving’s image, he is about as effective as Punxsutawney Phil (and Groundhog Day at least has a movie).
There has just never been room for Thanksgiving anticipation. Department stores roll out Halloween decorations in June and by September there are clearance sales on Nutcrackers. Thanksgiving falls at the very end of November, leaving a whole month between Halloween and Turkey Day, plenty of time for a holiday season.
I propose in between the skeletons and sleigh rides we promote Autumnal colors, blow up lawn turkeys, and shiplap signs that say “gather.” And though the turkey will most likely taste the same with the Christmas tree up, I say we owe it to the thousands of turkeys we kill every year to give them their moment.
My second reason why I think Thanksgiving gets no love is simply because it is a day where we are forced to be together with our families. Unlike Halloween, where children get copious amounts of candy and Christmas, where there are presents and stocking stuffers, a day where we gather together and be thankful for all we have can seem a little lackluster.
Though that’s where I think the problem lies. While we may not get anything material, Thanksgiving at its core is a holiday where we get together as people to cherish the year we have had. Sharing food with the people you love is truly the best form of comfort a person could ask for.
So even though you blast Mariah Carey’s All I Want for Christmas is You in the car ride over to Grandma’s house, remember to pause and stay grateful for the wonderful food, memories, and maybe even family drama you may see this holiday season. There’s truly no other holiday like good old Thanksgiving.
