Thanksgiving has lost meaning as a holiday of thankfulness
Students are counting down the days until fall break, families are planning the best stuffing for the turkey and store owners are getting ready for the biggest sale of the year.
Thanksgiving is creeping up on the calendar, but most people are not looking forward to demonstrating their gratitude for their loved ones. Most people are too busy searching for the best deals on purchases through Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping.
Amanda Vu
Thanksgiving started to lose its meaning as time went by. Nowadays, as college students, Thanksgiving conversations revolve around the joy of being spoiled by parents back home and the pain of boredom delivered by professors in lecture halls.
Thanksgiving used to be one of the few days a year when family members could have some bonding time with each other. Parents would have a day off work and children would have a day off school. Grandparents would come over with homemade pumpkin pie and aunts and uncles would visit, bringing gravy made from the family’s secret recipe. Cousins would share their toys and thank the adults for the generous dinner.
Today, Thanksgiving dinners rarely have all family members sitting at the dining table. One person inevitably has to go to work for the extra money and to deal with the holiday rush. Another person insists on staying in the living room to finish the final level of a video game.
Even the great Thanksgiving feast lost its meaning. A few minutes after the dinner ends, half of the family is already in the car, heading to grab a spot to camp out in order to get the best Black Friday doorbuster deals.
It is sad Thanksgiving is no longer as cherished as it once was. Parents are lured by the idea of being paid overtime and volunteer to work on the holiday, hoping to buy their kids some fancy toys with the extra money. However, the kids back home are falling asleep in disappointment while waiting for their parents to come home and celebrate Thanksgiving. Young children often value emotional support over material objects, so the overtime pay for extra Christmas presents isn’t worth the loss.
Similarly, Black Friday sales may save everyone tons of money on new technological gear or a brand-name dress, but that should not make Black Friday the central theme of Thanksgiving or this holiday season. The $100 discount on an item cannot buy parents the happiness of being appreciated by their kids. People are willing to stand for hours outside of a store when the temperature has dropped below zero degrees, but they are not willing to sit down and talk with their parents for a few minutes inside a warm home.
Whatever it is that you are trying to accomplish over Thanksgiving break, make sure to show thankfulness to your loved ones first.
Amanda Vu can be reached at [email protected]