Abbie Russman
CONTRIBUTOR
One of the things that constantly annoys me year after year during the holiday season is how Thanksgiving often gets the short end of the stick. Some people get so excited for Christmas that they completely jump over Thanksgiving and go straight into the Christmas season.
Thanksgiving is a time for fellowship and celebration with family. It is a time to express gratitude and reflect on the past year. or some, it is a time to count blessings and be thankful for all the good that has happened in life. Of course, the food is something many people love too.
Thanksgiving is the perfect start to the holiday season. It gives a glimpse to the bigger celebrations that will be had in the following month, but it deserves to be celebrated within its own individuality, outside of the influence of Christmas.
I completely understand why people get so excited for Christmas. I get excited too, but I also know that Thanksgiving is its own holiday and deserves to be celebrated without the too-early cloud of Christmas shrouding its individuality.
The thing that may upset me the most is when people begin to play Christmas music before Thanksgiving. I get it, there is not much Thanksgiving music out there, but it’s hard to get in the mood for Thanksgiving when Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” is on loop.
My family has the tradition to decorate for Christmas on Black Friday. In my opinion, this is a very good solution: you give Thanksgiving Day the full twenty-four hours, but then it is time for Christmas. For those who celebrate the season of Advent, the preparation of Christmas begins just a few days after Thanksgiving this year, so decorating early is something I think is totally okay—as long as it’s after Turkey Day.
Thanksgiving is its own holiday, and it deserves to be celebrated without the influence of Christmas. The ambiguity around Thanksgiving and its ethicality has deterred some families from celebrating, which I completely understand. However, if you choose to celebrate the holiday, try to make sure it is free from Christmas decorations and music.
