With each passing year, it appears more and more people are forgetting about Thanksgiving and skip straight from Halloween to Christmas. Forgetting Thanksgiving, in my honest opinion, is a tragedy. People can ignore it all they want, but Thanksgiving is essential to both the American holiday calendar, as well as the family calendar.
When I say Thanksgiving is necessary for the holiday cycle, I mean it. Contrasted to the giant holidays it is wedged between, Thanksgiving doesn’t have a lot of fanfare to it. There’s no Thanksgiving-themed music, nor culturally relevant movies celebrating the joy of Turkey Day. Thanksgiving is very toned down, and serves as respite for the month to allow us to recoup from Halloween and prepare for Christmas. Breaks in the flow are necessary, in order to preserve our energy so as to not get burned out in the nearly two-month gap to Christmas.
Besides giving us a break in the calendar, Thanksgiving also gives an excuse for good ol’-fashioned family time. For kids in elementary up to college, the five day weekend comes as a rest from the monotony of schoolwork and provides breathing room for both assignments and quality time. Those in the workforce can usually get at least a day or two off and spend it with family. Any way you spin it, Thanksgiving is the perfect excuse to spend time with your family members.
That’s all Thanksgiving really needs to be. A holiday of rest. A day where a family gathers together for one big day to eat as much as they can in one big meal they’ve been prepping all day, and then relax. Watch some football, kick back in a big chair and enjoy each other’s company. I couldn’t say how many of my Thanksgivings have been exactly that, sitting in the basement of grandparents’ houses with my cousins watching football or catching up, then playing board and card games until the sun went down. There’s no other day of the year that captures that feeling of a family being all together and having a great time.
Whether or not anyone agrees, Thanksgiving is something necessary to us. It’s not flashy, but it doesn’t have to be, nor should it. It’s all about family, and rest from the nonstop grindstone of life. Family isn’t flashy, family is grounded, and doesn’t need tons of pop songs and movies to be enjoyable. All you need is the ones you love and a meal to feed you.
Jack Gleckler is a freshman studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Do you agree? Tell Jack by tweeting him at @thejackgleckler.
