November 26, 2015. Thanksgiving Day. What are you thankful for? Are you thankful for the day off from college? The home-cooked food? Or, are you thankful for the ridiculous good deals that the day after Thanksgiving guarantees?
Families all over the country just devoured a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner surrounded by their families. As we know it, Thanksgiving is a day where we show that we are thankful for what we have; however, the true meaning of Thanksgiving has been chewed up and spit out by the new era of consumerism known as Black Friday. Now, families leave the grace of their Thanksgiving table and run to the mall and wait for the most important things in the universe that apparently nobody can live without these days: clothes, technology, electronics, etc. At one time in life, people engrossed and paid attention to their surroundings and enjoyed the simplicity of the holiday; now, we trample each other in order to get the most cutting-edge technology or those cute new leather boots.
Every year, my parents put so much effort into cooking a stellar Thanksgiving dinner — way too much effort to scarf down the entire meal in fifteen minutes just to wait at the back of a never ending line in the bitter cold. When I was younger, I would look so forward to spending the day cuddled up, all cozy under the blankets, watching the Thanksgiving parade. Then, of course, we would all watch football even though I honestly don’t even understand what a touchdown is. After, we would go downstairs and say what we were thankful for as we gobbled our turkey, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, and pumpkin pie. I am not saying that this is not how Thanksgiving is celebrated nowadays. However, I am trying to emphasize that many of us have become disconnected from the true meaning of the holiday: to be grateful and express gratitude alongside the one’s that we love and appreciate.
