It’s finally November. Halloween is over, and every store is already blasting Christmas music and posting their Black Friday deals. Little kids are making lists to Santa and college students are preparing for the endless questions from distant relatives during family reunions. In the craziness of the holiday season, it’s very easy to forget about Thanksgiving- a buffer between Halloween and Christmas devoted entirely to endless food . But does it deserve more recognition, or is the lack of attention it gets actually well deserved?

Let’s look at the history of the holiday. We all know the story we learned in elementary school about the Pilgrims and the Indians having a wholesome feast together in celebration of their new friendships. They worked together, helped each other and reaped their rewards with a bounty of food, which is why we have a giant feast with family and friends now. 

Unfortunately, the holiday has become over commercialized and reduced down to just a day for indulgence. Now, it seems like when this holiday gets any attention or acknowledgement, it’s always about the massive turkey that will be more than enough for one family and the countless sides that come with it. If portrayed in media at all, the kicker of shows and movies is to have an anti-thankful outlook on it. Food gets burned, people yell and half the family stresses in the kitchen while the other half are unhelpful watching “the game” until everything is finally resolved at the very end. (For an ideal example of Thanksgiving media, watch any Thanksgiving episode from Friends.) 

Don’t get me wrong, the idea behind Thanksgiving is great. There’s nothing better than good, hard-earned food, surrounded by those you love to reminisce on the great things that have happened over the years. The problem is, this holiday is easily drowned out, if not by Black Friday and Christmas, then by its own parades, football games and, let’s face it, lack of hype besides the food. To truly celebrate the holiday and have a better Thanksgiving experience, we need to take it back to the most simplistic aspects of the fall day. That is, we must remember what and, more importantly, who truly matters in our lives. I have a feeling it’s not a Macy’s float in New York City.