Turkey Trot

Eating Turkey, gathering together, being grateful to have friends, families, and a roof over one’s head. Many know that these characteristics are that of Thanksgiving – but what if the true meaning of the holiday has been degraded over the centuries?

Some households that celebrate Thanksgiving do it solely out of tradition, and never really take much time to think of why they celebrate the holiday in the first place.

"I think [Thanksgiving] is pretty important,” Eden Obert stated, “but I mostly personally just celebrate it because it’s something my family always does.”

Along with family traditions that hold significance, which can still be undiscussed at times, the impact of Thanksgiving seems to not be very heavy on some people.

“If Thanksgiving wasn’t a holiday, it probably wouldn’t change my day-to-day life that much,” Mr. Mellott shared. “I think it’s a nice holiday, and fall is my favorite, but if it wasn't here, I would just not have good food.”

The seemingly widespread insignificance of Thanksgiving as a holiday only grows with the twisted truth about the holiday’s real history.

“I think the value system of getting together with family is something that should be celebrated,” said Mr. Mellott, “but being respectful of origins, the true history that comes along with it is challenging at times to reconcile with what it means today.”

Even with the holiday’s history, people still take the time to be thankful for the good things in their lives. 

“This year, I'm more thankful for just being able to accomplish some of my goals that I’ve had for a while,” Milena Stearns expressed.

Being thankful is one of the most highlighted parts of the season of Thanksgiving, and being kind to other people can greatly express those good parts about the holiday.

“Honesty is the best policy,” Stearns declared. “Be honest with yourself and just let people know how you feel. If you compliment someone, it might make their day.”

However, some other classic things associated with Thanksgiving aren’t so sweet, and are rather a modified version of what we’ve come to know as the seasonal traditions today.

“With Black Friday, it used to be at midnight and you’d go and line up at the start of the winter season,” Mr. Mellott explained. “But now, it’s halfway through Thanksgiving. It’s like, ‘Yeah, I’m gonna leave my family early to go get cheap stuff.’”

Some people agree that the reason Thanksgiving might be on the lower ranking of U.S. holidays is because of the little impact it has on top of stereotypes and consumerism.

“It’s just kind of a replaceable holiday,” Obert suggested. “I think it’s just a break between Halloween and Christmas, honestly.”

Modern day capitalism and irrelevancy isn’t just the only reason Thanksgiving is under the radar, however.

“I think the meaning is kind of stripped away,” Stearns said. “I think that people add onto the holiday a lot because they’re not grateful over a lot of things.”

One thing most people can agree on, no matter their beliefs on the holiday, is that the best thing to do to build Thanksgiving up higher on its pedestal is to embrace the love and joy that it brings.

“If somebody does something nice to you, help them out in return, right?” Mr. Mellott expressed. “If you see a need, meet a need.”