With Thanksgiving fast approaching, students are likely looking forward to not only a relaxing break from school but spending time with friends and family. However, it seems as the years go on Thanksgiving fades more and more into the background as people focus on Christmas instead. Even before Halloween, most retail stores had already put up loads of Christmas decorations. Thanksgiving used to be an important holiday we would celebrate before thinking about Christmas. It’s a holiday meant for us to give thanks to all the wonderful things in life, but that’s not the case when stores are open on Thanksgiving night and requiring employees to go in for work. People have already been looking at Black Friday deals and asking for Christmas lists, focusing on all the things they’re going to buy instead of being thankful for the things they do have. While getting these lists together, more people seem to forget Thanksgiving all together. 

There is a long history behind Thanksgiving that not many people know. The 1st ever Thanksgiving lasted 3 days; however we struggle to even be thankful for one. When the pilgrims celebrated Thanksgiving all the way back in 1620, it was part of their religion and was just a simple gathering to acknowledge their successful harvest. Both George Washington and Abraham Lincoln tried to make Thanksgiving a national holiday but it wasn’t until 1941 that it became official. Thanksgiving has been overlooked like it’s just another day even though it holds so much amazing history.

It seems the only thing people look forward to with this holiday now is the food. Traditional foods like turkey, mashed potatoes, corn, and pumpkin pie are a big part of Thanksgiving but the most important thing remains: being thankful.

This year for Thanksgiving if we all remember it’s history and true meaning we will not only be giving the holiday justice but open up opportunities to spend quality time with friends and family while bonding over what we can be thankful for. There are so many wonderful things we can appreciate that I encourage everyone to put thoughts of Christmas and Black Friday aside for this one day and celebrate Thanksgiving for all that it’s worth. From the history behind it, to the message it sends that there is so much around us that we can give thanks for, Thanksgiving truly is one amazing holiday.