BY MORGAN KILGER, NEWS ASSIGNMENT EDITOR
Don’t forget about Thanksgiving
Each year, the Christmas season seems to begin before Thanksgiving even starts trotting. Christmas music plays on the radio, stores advertise Christmas merchandise and companies run holiday-season-themed commercials.
But what about Thanksgiving?
Don’t get me wrong: Christmas is great. But Thanksgiving shouldn’t be skipped over as if it’s non-existent.
One of the great things about Thanksgiving is its massive Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. As a kid — and even now as a sophomore in college — I loved getting up early and watching the parade with my parents. I loved the floats, especially Snoopy, and the performances every half-hour. My favorites were always the Rockettes, even though they are technically more Christmas-oriented, and whatever musical was a hit on Broadway that year. And whenever Beetlejuice performed, I was awestruck.
Another great thing about Thanksgiving is the food.
There’s turkey, gravy and mashed potatoes. No Thanksgiving plate can be complete without cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie — they’re actually the best parts, if you ask me. It’s a dinner full of comfort foods.
Finally, Thanksgiving is a holiday backed by value and tradition.
Take my family for example. We make Thanksgiving an all-day affair.
My mom, cousin and I would walk the Buffalo turkey trot together in previous years. The trot runs through Buffalo and ends in front of city hall. Afterward, we would get breakfast at our favorite place: The Original Pancake House.
After an amazing breakfast, it would be time to prepare to see our entire family for dinner. The actual dinner part of Thanksgiving day is important to us because of our younger family members. All of my cousins are somewhere between one and eight years old, making them at the ages where they’re still learning about what holidays are and what they mean.
As an older cousin, I feel that making holidays special is important for them. I like to make Thanksgiving particularly special for them since it’s so overlooked by society.
With Christmas being promoted as early as Nov. 1, meaning of Thanksgiving can get lost.
It’s important to emphasize that holidays aren’t all about the food or the gifts, but also about family. Thanksgiving is perfect for that. The central premise of the holiday is about being thankful for what and who you have.
Even though the excitement of Christmas often overshadows Thanksgiving, it’s important to remember the values and traditions behind the holiday.
kilgermi22@bonaventure.edu
