Halloween to Christmas, where did Thanksgiving go?

As this past weekend was Halloween, and as crazy as that was for most every college student, the spooky excitement is now over and we are all looking forward to Christmas. Wait, what? Christmas? What happened to Thanksgiving? I’m sure most of you have noticed that each year Christmas seems to be coming sooner than the year before. By this I do not literally mean that Christmas day is arriving sooner than it has in the past, it is still on December 25th the last time I checked my calendar, but the spirit of Christmas is encroaching, slightly prematurely, upon us all. Even before November 1st hits, Christmas decorations and ads can be seen popping up in stores, but as soon as November 1st dawns, it is like a full-fledged Christmas extravaganza in most stores. And so, I question what happened to Thanksgiving? Why do we as a nation seem to just skip over one of the holidays that we should be most thankful for?


 

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The difference in house decorations from October 31st to November 1st really is quite astounding.


 

Understandably, a vast majority of the population would probably say that Christmas is their favorite holiday, and I would not fight with them on that one. I myself am at fault for giving Thanksgiving the cold shoulder, for instead of having a countdown of how many days there are left until Thanksgiving, I have a countdown on my dorm room white board which has the days until Christmas (48 if you are curious). Upon pondering the reasons for this, I have come up with a short list of reasons why this is becoming a common occurrence.

1. Christmas brings presents, while Thanksgiving you are supposed to be thankful for what you already have instead of acquiring more “stuff”.

2.  I don’t know about you, but I have never gotten excited to break out the Thanksgiving songs, which I do not think really even exist. Christmas songs are where it’s at, I could listen to them all year.

3. College wise, Thanksgiving break is a tease compared to Christmas Holiday break, for we have off for a solid month. Thanksgiving break is a week, which is nice, but the ominous doom of finals still await you upon your return, (may the odds be ever in our favor).

4. $$$$$$$$$ (excuse my excessive use of the $ sign). Christmas is a huge money making business time of the year. When have stores ever made bank on selling Thanksgiving merchandise?

So there you have it, a short list of reasons why Christmas is taking Thanksgiving over. With all this said, Christmas is taking over Thanksgiving mostly because of the marketing and definite large sum of money that there is to be made on Christmas merchandise, and the sooner stores sell it, the more money they will make. However, Thanksgiving is still a wonderful holiday which should not be thrown to the wayside. As this Thanksgiving approaches, really take the time to be thankful for what you have been given, especially for the things which you might take for granted on occasion. Happy Holidays!

 

 

3 thoughts on “Halloween to Christmas, where did Thanksgiving go?

  1. I enjoyed this post immensely, it was the perfect amount of light criticism on our somewhat premature and greedy excitement over a holiday we all love. That being said, you can probably find me shamelessly (well a little shamefully) singing Christmas Carols in November and I, too, have a countdown going. I think its important that we give thanksgiving, and especially what it stands for, its due. And, of course, not to lose the spirit of Christmas in all the glitz and glamor of the holiday. So, happy holidays! even though its November 12th.

  2. I’ve been noticing this phenomenon more and more with both Christmas and Black Friday, which isn’t even really a holiday. In previous years, sales on Black Friday (the official beginning of the Christmas shopping season) would begin early in the morning. Now, they begin as early as Thursday night, and not late Thursday night either. Personally, my family is still eating Thanksgiving dinner when the sales begin. Shouldn’t we all take more time to appreciate a holiday that exists for the sole purpose of being thankful for what we have rather than rushing out to the stores to buy more? This paradox has only been emphasized by the ever-encroaching beginning of Black Friday shopping, which I personally hate. Let’s take a little more time to be thankful and push off that frenzied consumerism another couple of hours.

  3. I personally cannot wait for Thanksgiving. It will be my first time in months that I see all of my family together, and I do not know about anyone else but it has been the longest time that I have been away from my immediate family EVER. It should be a nice break despite the impending loom of finals and I am actually counting down the weekends to break.
    I think going to college has actually allow for me to appreciate Thanksgiving much more than ever before despite it being before Christmas, the most emphasized holiday ever. I have started to miss my family and to see them would be the best thing in the world and I cannot wait to eat. Actually, eating food that isn’t made for a buffet may be the reason I am actually yearning for Thanksgiving. I can’t wait for the turkey and the stuffing and the pie. Oh the pie!!! Yep, no matter if finals are just a couple weeks after, I am still going to make the most of the Thanksgiving holiday.

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