Thanksgiving: The Rodney Dangerfield of holidays

                   It’s not even Halloween yet and some people are already preparing for the glory and splendor of the holiday season. Now when people say “the holiday season”, that encompasses three holidays; Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s. People like Thanksgiving. It’s a nice day. You get to eat, you generally don’t have to work, and you can watch some football. But then there is Christmas. Glorious and wonderful Christmas. Christmas is the Marsha Brady to Thanksgiving’s Jan Brady. Even New Year’s Eve can adopt the cute and trendy persona of Cindy Brady. The question is why? Why is Christmas lauded above every other holiday?


                 I guess there are the obvious reasons. Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. I mean……he is the savior for ALL mankind. But most people would agree that there is something about Christmas that is definitively secular. The whole notion of an obese man breaking and entering into the homes of children just to bring them presents or coal, depending on how they behaved, is slightly morbid. Everyone knows that people enjoy the presents more than any other facet of the holiday. But let’s examine the true enormity of Christmas and the disdain that Thanksgiving is forced to suffer from a variety of angles. 


Marketing


              The marketing for Christmas is basically year round. If you don’t believe me, think about these little factoids. What are the two biggest shopping days of the year? Christmas Eve and the ever-dangerous “Black Friday” shopping extravaganza. Those two days alone are filled with more sales, samples, and credit card receipts than many months combined. And to add more insult to injury for Thanksgiving, some retail chains are opening up Thanksgiving evening just to beat the competition that has the audacity to wait until 5am to open their doors. Moreover, think about the sales commercials for the holidays. The GAP used to have those trendy, jazz infused tunes that would warm up everyone’s hearts and debit cards. Some radio stations start playing those old Christmas standards VERY early in November, more than a month before Christmas is even here.Where are the Thanksgiving commercials? Except for the local grocery stores and Honebaked Ham, they are MIA. The only Thanksgiving song I know is the one by Adam Sandler, and, while hilarious, its not exactly a holiday classic.

             Christmas cards are usually sent out starting in early December. Are there any Thanksgiving cards? Nope. Why do people REALLY send out Christmas cards? Is it to put our friends and family in the holiday mood? To say hello? I believe it is a way of systematically reminding people to act in a certain way. Pavlov would be proud. Once a person gets the Christmas card, the holidays are real. People have to begin to worry about travel arrangements, decorations, meal arrangements, Christmas choral concerts, Christmas church concerts, and the overall 9th circle of hell that most shopping complexes turn into.

 Peer pressure


             There is an immense pressure on people to try to elevate their livelihoods just for the sake of a 24 hour period. I mean, if you are “anti-Christmas” and refuse to engage in the festivities of the season, your social standing will become that of a nuclear terrorist. My stepfather, who is an ordained minister, LOATHES Christmas. He loathes the presents, he loathes the traffic, he loathes the very existence of the idea of Santa Claus, and most of all, he loathes how the true meaning of the holiday season has been in his words “perverted” and become one of commercialism and greed. That being said, he never gave out gifts, nor expected any in return, and when all the Christmas specials would come on, he would leave the room and read his bible and remark how the holiday is corrupt. My stepfather does not care about Christmas but about 95% of the world does.

      Most people have their shopping days listed in the same way that the NSA lists national security threats. 'DEFCON: Christmas' is known throughout the homes and minds of many families. People complain about the many inconveniences of the holiday but there is a secret thrill that comes from being around the crowd. Breathing the same Starbucks coffee/Yankee Candle/celebrity fragrance infused air that dissipates around the malls and shopping centers in this great nation. People want to be involved. People need to be involved. It's a love/hate relationship of the highest order. What’s the peer pressure for Thanksgiving? Make a turkey and eat. No real festivities. No pomp. No circumstance. There is the Macy’s Day Thanksgiving parade in the morning, but that’s about it. It’s utterly ridiculous.

 Entertainment


              As I’ve said before, there are dozens of great Christmas songs. I like “Sleigh Ride” and “Baby its Cold Outside”. There are the quintessential Christmas television programs like “A Charlie Brown Christmas”, which makes most people with half a soul misty eyed. The TBS network shows A Christmas Story on loop for 24 hours because it is still that endearing. Don’t get me wrong. I LOVE A Christmas Story. I LOVE Elf. One of my favorite movies as a kid was Santa Claus: The Movie, which if you haven’t seen was very, very 1980s. What is the definitive cultural classic movie about Thanksgiving? I’m a big time movie buff and the only ones that come to mind are Home for the Holidays with Holly Hunter and the Pauly Shore classic Son in Law and neither of them are revered as that oveerated Frank Capra garbage It's a Wonderful Life (yeah I said it!).  I looked it up on Google and found a list here:

http://movies.amctv.com/movie-guide/top-ten-thanksgiving-movies/

               I can’t believe I forgot about Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. It’s Midwestern, its funny, and it leaves the audience with a feeling of general joy and appreciation for being alive. But that doesn’t negate the fact that the overwhelming majority of holiday themed movies revolve around Christmas. Even New Year’s Eve has its own classics. Don’t believe me. Check this out:

http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20483133_20333358_20718374,00.html

 Thanksgiving is getting the shaft and it needs to be rectified.

 Sporting traditions


              This is basically subjective. If you are into football, you LOVE Thanksgiving. Watching the Detroit Lions get their ass kicked is a tradition. And, since they are actually decent this season, its one I am actually looking forward to. Some high schools have a game on Thanksgiving morning. And some families have a Thanksgiving football game before the big meal. It’s Americana at its best. If you are a basketball fan, than you like Christmas. The NBA usually markets its best teams on that day. I don’t mind the NBA. Since its usually cold/snowing on the ground, people really can’t go outside and do much, like play football or anything. I’m a Lakers fan so if they are on, I’ll watch it. Otherwise, I’m hoping there is a college football bowl game on. 


Cultural significance


                  As previously stated, its tough to beat the birth of Jesus Christ. But I believe its also been demonstrated that most people aren't into the holiday for the giving of gifts but more for the receiving of gifts. The thing that I believe is so intoxicating about Christmas is that people actually try to be better than they actually are. The rationale for this shift is both selfish and superficial but at least people are trying. 99.9% of the time people are cruel, cynical, and self-absorbed. But one day out of the year, people try to be more generous. They try to be more empathetic. They try to be more compassionate.


              While Christmas has the entire “holiday spirit” radiating its core, I think something can be said about the general thought of being thankful. When the pilgrims and native Americans feasted that first Thanksgiving, after the toil and anguish of sailing from England, establishing healthy crops, and enduring sickness and multiple deaths, I believe the meal served as a providence as to the mission of the settlers to find religious freedom and hopes for a better future. While many people haven’t endured what the early settlers of the United States endured, I believe that people can always find a reason to be joyous and grateful. And that is what Thanksgiving represents to me. A genuine joy and passion for existing. That’s it. Be grateful you are alive and a sentient being because there are much worse alternatives. Many times we wish we were more wealthy, more attractive, more popular, more coordinated, and basically a better version of ourselves. What Thanksgiving reminds us is that perfection is a moot point because we are already doing the best we can. It’s cliché but most traditions are.


            I’ll wrap up this little diatribe by just wishing that people would take some time and think about why Thanksgiving actually is a national holiday and revel in that before stuffing your face full of delicious carbs. Will Thanksgiving ever get the respect and admiration of Christmas? Probably not. That does not negate the fact that its meaning isn’t as important or valid. Everyone should enjoy the holidays. Just take a moment to remember why there is said enjoyment.