Thanksgiving shouldn’t be overlooked
With spooky season behind us, it can be easy to brush aside the month old cobwebs and look forward to the holidays ahead. From one fast paced holiday to the next, Thanksgiving is overlooked, when in actuality, this holiday should be appreciated just as much as Christmas or Halloween.
November allows us to slow down and take a break to recuperate before the rush of buying presents, attending celebrations and cramming for finals. The first half of the month allows us to come down from our candy high and long weekends of Halloween parties. While everyone can try to avoid Mariah Carey (it’s literally impossible), November gets us ready to prepare for the end of the year hustle. While the last week and a half of the month are packed with holiday travel and feasts, the month on the whole gives us a much needed breather.
Everyone wants to cut straight to Christmas and while that’s understandable, there are certain pros to the underappreciated break. Starting off with the fact that it still allows for a short break before finals. Having around five days off is the much needed break students want and gets them motivated to power through finals. The spread of homecooked food makes students blaze down the interstate and not let them leave home.
Another benefit of going home for Thanksgiving is getting to see your hometown friends. After months of separation, it’s the best to throw a huge get-together and catch each other up on a semester’s worth of gossip. It’s much better that getting asked unnecessary questions by relatives such as “Why aren’t you dating someone?” and “Have you decided what you want to do with your life?”
The anticipation of Christmas starts when the clock strikes 12 on November 1 according to society, but I feel that it kills the mood quickly, especially when Christmas music starts. The few days leading up to Black Friday build the excitement right before the holidays. In my house, Christmas decorations are put up the day after Thanksgiving, allowing it to have its moment in the spotlight.
So while you’re packing up the pumpkins, let the turkey take a breather before breaking out the boughs of holly.
Header photo: After living on Ramen for a few months, homecooked food is enough to make a college kid cry… (Flickr photo)
Write to Emma Johnson at emma.johnson.5@mnsu.edu