Thanksgiving versus Christmas

Thanksgiving is mainly an overlooked and underappreciated holiday nowadays. At least, this is what can be assumed based off the decorations for Christmas versus the decorations for Thanksgiving. For some households, the race towards Christmas starts the day after Halloween, sometimes before. Personally, I put up the tree on the first weekend in November while starting shopping for presents in July. However, some are upset at the fact Thanksgiving is being so overlooked compared to Christmas. Chloe Johnson, class of 2018, agrees. “If you notice, immediately after Halloween, Christmas decorations are hung up instead of Thanksgiving (even though Thanksgiving decorations would be mainly food related.) I believe Thanksgiving is a necessary holiday because there is a sense of family and belonging during this holiday,” Chloe says.

Families travel long and wide to be able to spend quality time with each other. Sometimes there’s drama, sometimes there’s laughter, but there is always love. When asked how she will be spending her holiday, Chloe said, “I will be spending it with both sides of my family. I will have dinner with my dad’s family, and I will eat my birthday cake with my mom’s family. My favorite part of my Thanksgiving break is the sense of love and kindness that surrounds everyone during this time of year.”

Personally, I’m one of the lucky ones. The most travel I have to complete is going from my room upstairs to the dining room downstairs. My close relatives all come to my house for dinner, which means not hassling with travel or dressing up. I think this is one of the reason that I overlook Thanksgiving some much. Thanksgiving at my household is very low-key. I help my mother cook (to the best of my ability since I can barely cook toast) and everyone else brings one dish to dinner.

I then asked Chloe which of the two, Thanksgiving and Christmas, is her favorite holiday. She responded with, “I like Thanksgiving more because it is not overshadowed by the materialistic views like Christmas is. Christmas is the time for gifts and giving. Meanwhile, Thanksgiving is the time for love and family. It is really something special.” Even though I love Thanksgiving, Christmas will always be my favorite holiday. I agree with how Chloe described each holiday, but I believe there is something special about Christmas. It may be the child in me, but no matter how old I get, I can’t shake the feeling of magic in the air.