The unloved middle child

Poor Thanksgiving is the holiday season's overlooked middle child.

Halloween is the oldest and kicks off the celebration. Everyone, myself included, gets excited. For me it's not just about Halloween itself. When you're little it's all about dressing up & eating way too much sugar. Halloween loses its relevance but then in college it becomes about dressing up and alcohol is substituted for candy. I'm at a stage now where I want a house so I can give candy to trick or treaters.  I want children to dress up as well. I want to make their costumes like Mom made ours. I'll have to work on my sewing skills between now & then. But the excitement is more about the possibility that Halloween brings. The holiday season is coming; before you know it Christmas will be here.

But then something happens. Halloween comes and goes. Candy goes on sale, scary movies disappear from TV lineups, jack o lanterns get thrown away. And then it becomes about Christmas. All the sudden there are lists to be made, decorations to be set up. Presents are planned. Christmas playlists are made. Peppermint is added into beverages and sweets alike.

But there's another holiday in there, wedged awkwardly in between its older sibling Halloween and the much beloved and fawned over younger sibling, Christmas.

I admit I'm guilty of forgetting Thanksgiving. I did make a playlist the other day I named peppermint stick. The whole thing was full of Christmas music. Don't worry, I haven't listened to it yet. Today I went to redesign my blog. After all, Halloween's day has come & gone so a Halloween theme is no longer appropriate. I thought about a generic fall/winter theme: some fall colors, some leaves, some trees. But then I thought: what about Thanksgiving? After all, this thing was decorated for Halloween almost a month in advance so why not give Thanksgiving its due?

I would like to argue that Thanksgiving is just as important as Christmas and Halloween.

The key to Thanksgiving is attitude. The same is true for the other two holidays as well. Thanksgiving is a time to pause and reflect on life. It's a time to gather with family, whether immediate, extended, biological or friends that have become family.  It's a time for favorite American past times like football, shopping and eating. Come on, we all know those three are quite popular here. It's a time to let your guard down and undo that top button on your pants. It's a time to recenter. It's a time to take a breather.

Mmmm yes I do love Thanksgiving. And I will give it its due this year.