In today’s world, holidays are usually perceived with happiness and festivity. However, there are certain days that we are more excited about than other holidays.
For example, Thanksgiving was a way to celebrate the harvest. Nowadays, the holiday consists of a large feast with loved ones. However, in recent times, the holiday has been completely outshined by arguably America’s most famous holiday: Christmas.
There are many reasons why people skip Thanksgiving and go straight to Christmas.
One reason is that the traditions around Thanksgiving are underwhelming. Sure, having a large meal with family and friends is special, but people do that all the time across the year. The only difference is the involvement of turkeys and giving thanks for each other and for what they have. Birthdays, family reunions and even just a job promotion, people celebrate through large meals pretty much whenever and wherever they want.
Additionally, another reason why Thanksgiving is so unpopular is the fact that it is sandwiched between two of the biggest holidays: Halloween and Christmas. Having three holidays all in close time with each other results in little to no time to prepare for Thanksgiving as people are cleaning up Halloween. Due to this, people often see Thanksgiving as that one awkward holiday at the end of the year, since no significant traditions are involved with Thanksgiving outside of that one meal and giving thanks.
Whereas for Christmas, not only is the whole winter season considered to be dedicated to it, but the holiday itself is one of the most well-known dates of history.
The holiday is the literal celebration of the birth of God in one of the most prominent and influential religions on Earth. Everyone knows Christmas: some may call it by a different name, but the world knows this special holiday at the end of the year.
However, many people would argue that Thanksgiving is not always about the food or the activities one does. Instead, it is about being grateful for the things you did and the things you have. However, Thanksgiving’s emphasis on family and community excludes the individuals who do not have that support. Although it is unfortunate, people who are unable to contact their families will likely not partake in Thanksgiving. This is a parallel to Valentine’s Day, where individuals without a significant other find less significance in the holiday.
In comparison to Christmas, Thanksgiving simply does not come close in terms of cultural influence. When was the last song written about Thanksgiving? When was the last time there was a mascot outside of food? Thanksgiving does not get the same amount of love compared to Christmas and even Halloween. By the time Halloween is over, everyone is already talking about Christmas or the new year. Nothing really happens during Thanksgiving, the whole month is pretty much just a build-up for Christmas.
The sad reality is that no one really cares about Thanksgiving, unlike Christmas and Halloween because there are no specific traditions or customs relating to Thanksgiving that are not common throughout the year. People eat with their family and friends every day outside of Thanksgiving. There is no significant value in celebrating Thanksgiving and People are only celebrating it to keep up with old practices.
With the coincidence of it being right before the biggest holiday, most people would just rather focus on preparing for a better Christmas instead of celebrating Thanksgiving.
