Cora McClain | Editor-in-Chief

So it’s November, which means the most family-centric holiday is right around the corner. It’s a wonderfully festive time that brings people together through love and thankfulness. That’s right — it’s Christmas (and other winter holidays).

Almost as soon as the Halloween decorations come down, they are replaced with dreidels, kinaras and stockings. Nov. 1 seems to signify the changing of holiday seasons as Michael Bublé’s velvety pipes belt out “It’s Beginning To Look A Lot  Like Christmas” over the speakers in public places. November has turned into a month-long preparation for the winter holidays, specifically Christmas, and overlooks a special little day on the fourth Thursday of November, where families gather around and gorge on carbs and turkey. 

While the origins of Thanksgiving are not the best — and poorly represented — the meaning of modern Thanksgiving has come to signify the gathering of family. Sure, Christmas is about gathering family too (as it is an aspect of any holiday) but just because Christmas is branded better, with more celebrity cover albums than I can count and a crazy man who climbs down chimneys and eats cookies as a mascot, it shouldn’t overshadow Thanksgiving. If anything, Thanksgiving just hasn’t been given enough branding to make it any more than a fly-over holiday. 

I mean, are there any Thanksgiving-themed songs? Adam Sandler’s “The Thanksgiving Song” doesn’t count. What about Thanksgiving-themed movies? Even if there is just one or two, they can’t possibly outweigh the massive amount of Christmas-themed-and-adjacent movies, TV shows and other entertainment media. Without these forms of media, it becomes easy to skip over Thanksgiving, as if it doesn’t exist. However, Thanksgiving still deserves recognition and celebration.

From good food to appreciation, Thanksgiving has a lot to offer as a holiday. Whether the Thanksgiving table is filled with mashed potatoes and gravy or kimchi and jeon, just being around a table of good food, no matter the food, honors the holiday. More important than the food on the table (I know, nothing is more important than food) are the people around the table. 

Extended family, close family and found family in friends all make the holiday what it truly is. Spending quality time with people, whether in constant contact or only seeing them every-so-often, makes Thanksgiving a holiday worth celebrating.

Finally, the “giving thanks” aspect of Thanksgiving allots the holiday its own spin on the “family gathering” facet of every holiday. Just like how Christmas’ gimmick is giving presents, Thanksgiving is all about taking a moment to reflect on the good things in life. Reflecting on the positivity like this is something special that Thanksgiving is centered on. While it may not seem important, taking a serious look at all there is to be thankful for can be very encouraging in troubling times, and maybe people need a little more positive reflection. 

So, don’t just let Thanksgiving fall to the wayside as Michael Bublé plays from the speakers, remember the fourth Thursday of November as a day to reflect and gather and eat.

Contact the author at cmcclain17@wou.edu

Photo by Mikayla Bruley