October has come to a close, Halloween is over, and what is society’s next step? Christmas. The music starts infiltrating the radio, houses start putting up their lights, and Starbucks releases its holiday drinks. But what about the most iconic, familial, and autumnal holiday? Thanksgiving is tragically overlooked every year in anticipation of Christmas, and it’s time for this pattern to stop. 

The most significant and obvious delight of this holiday? The food is like no other. Mashed potatoes made from real peeled potatoes instead of the packet, turkey that has been cooking in the oven all day, everything doused in gravy; on what other occasion do you get to eat stuffing? 

Only people without taste buds would claim Thanksgiving food is not top-tier– dare I say the best holiday food of them all. Families come together to distribute the responsibilities of cooking and preparation to put together a delicious feast. But the amazing meal is just one of the many reasons why Thanksgiving is so special. 

Thanksgiving is a holiday that values family, friends, and most importantly, being grateful. It isn’t a holiday focused on extravagant outfits, decorations, or gifts– it’s about sitting down with the people you love and appreciating the good things in your life. What’s not to love? 

The Thanksgiving traditions flooding the last week of November are classics and deserve everybody’s full attention. These events are vital to the sentimental familial bonding within holiday: the Thanksgiving parade on TV, the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving episode, your local turkey trot, and Black Friday. Thanksgiving is the ultimate fall holiday. It’s packed with opportunities to apple pick, pumpkin carve, and light up your flannel-scented candle. It’s the last chance to hang on to fall until the official transition into winter– why should we rush it?

It is time to stop allowing corporation marketing strategies and impatience for Christmas to take away from the season of another holiday. It is time for us to sit down and enjoy Thanksgiving dinner without the infection of light-up garlands and Michael Bublé. It is time for society to start appreciating Thanksgiving.