The second that October hits, everything becomes about Halloween. Yet, it seems like the closer we come to October 31st, the more eager we are to move past it. Then, on November 1st? Everything is all about Christmas and the holiday season; and all the stores are stocked with garland, reindeers, and ornaments. So, what happens to Thanksgiving? It is next week, but I only ever hear about Christmas and the holiday break. Sure, it is not a favorite of holidays, but it is still there. Is it just poor timing, set up just to be overshadowed by bigger, better holidays? Or is it the fact that there is not a specific date for celebration, like with Christmas on December 25th? I mean, think about it. Is there a single Thanksgiving movie or song? I know what you are thinking, but Charlie Brown and Adam Sandler’s Thanksgiving song don’t count. Why is that? There is a Charlie Brown movie for just about everything and Sandler’s Hanukkah song is more well known.
Even more than that, Halloween has black cats, ghosts, vampires, and werewolves. Christmas has Mr. and Mrs. Clause, Buddy the Elf, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and the Grinch. Fun stuff. What does Thanksgiving have? Pilgrims and terrified turkeys? Maybe that is the root of the problem. There is just not much out there to help get into the Thanksgiving spirit. Even Punxsutawney Phil and Gus, the second most famous groundhog in Pennsylvania, gain more recognition than anything about Thanksgiving. Perhaps the solution is to make up a Thanksgiving character: Penny the Pilgrim or Tyson the Turkey.
Either way, Thanksgiving gives the kids little to look forward to. At Christmas, kids get to leave cookies for Santa and hope that he will fall off their roof so their parent can become Santa instead (The Santa Clause movieis the best). Yeah, Thanksgiving is about giving, but the only spirited thing it has to offer is food, and I don’t think most kids are jumping for joy at the thought of canned cranberry sauce and stuffing. And for adults? Well, there is not much more. Thanksgiving dinner is just what they have before they go Black Friday shopping for Christmas presents. I know that every year my parents are browsing the ads immediately after dinner and pie rather than simply just spending time with everybody. That is saved for Christmas.
I am sure this all comes off as me trashing Thanksgiving, but in reality, it is just a misunderstood and unappreciated holiday. Both Halloween and Christmas give off lively vibes, so that is exactly what needs to be created for Thanksgiving. We need to take it upon ourselves to make Thanksgiving something more to get excited about, whether that is by creating a fictional character, singing Thanksgiving carols, or by making construction paper turkeys to decorate with. From now on, when November 1st comes around, we need to stop and ask ourselves “What about the turkey?” rather than skipping straight to eggnog and Elves on the Shelves.
