Once Halloween is over, stores begin stocking up on Christmas decorations, radios start playing Christmas songs, people begin creating their wishlists, and everyone is in the Christmas spirit. However, we all seem to skip over an important holiday: Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving only comes once a year where people celebrate what they are thankful for with their family and friends. Thanksgiving dates back to the early 1600s and has been celebrated ever since, now, though, it is typically forgotten or disregarded. 

Originated in 1621, Thanksgiving was first welcomed by the pilgrims “when… Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast” as the first celebration. For the last few centuries, some states have been celebrating this holiday; it wasn’t until 1863, during the Civil War, that Abraham Lincoln announced Thanksgiving Day to be a yearly holiday.

Although Christmas and Thanksgiving have similarities like spending time with family, eating, and school breaks, during Christmas, people open presents. Even though getting presents can be an enjoyable experience, giving thanks to the great things in life can help people appreciate their lives and everything surrounding them. During Thanksgiving, we meet to share our strengths in addition to our struggles. Other than eating, communities gather to discuss their successes and failures. In giving thanks to everyone individuals “humbly reflect upon all the gifts that saturate our lives.” By showing and giving thanks, people extend themselves by giving to others less prosperous than them; because of this, resources are able to be created for those in need.  

While we should be thankful for everything in our life here are the top things we should be grateful for: a home, family and friends, good health, clean drinking water, and food. A home is vital for living, it provides shelter from the cold, dangers of the outside world, and warmth during the winter seasons. Family and friends are a huge part of our lives, they support and care for us when we need it most. Good health is what everyone should have but, unfortunately, not everybody is in good health condition. Lastly, clean drinking water and food are vital. Even though this may seem basic, one in eight of 7 billion people on Earth do not have enough food to eat. So, having food and a roof over our heads, is one of the most important things we should be thankful for. In order to show this gratitude, we gather together to enjoy and appreciate what we have in our lives.

Once a year, we join our loved ones to feast and celebrate for the things we are grateful for throughout the year. This day dates back to the 1600s when the Indians and pilgrims gathered together to share dinner in November. Nowadays we tend to forget or ignore this important holiday compared to Halloween or Christmas. We should be thankful to have this great opportunity where we can spend time with our families and show appreciation to what matters.