I was sitting in a free the first day back from Halloween when I heard music playing. I got excited, but then I realized it was Christmas music. Christmas music! It was only two days after Halloween and I was already being bombarded with Christmas. The Halloween decorations weren’t even down yet, and we had already moved on to a holiday that wouldn’t take place for another two months. Thanksgiving gets lost to a prioritized Christmas spirit far before the season begins, which is something that needs to change.

Thanksgiving is a time to spend with family and think about all the things we are grateful for. It is a time where people come together not for the gifts or free treats, but for the company, and to reflect upon what they have been given. That message has become lost.

Companies are so focused on Christmas that they make their employees work on Thanksgiving Day to get ready for Black Friday. Black Friday is just one more reason people forget about Thanksgiving. Sure, Black Friday is great, but people are becoming so obsessed with trying to find the best deals that it has lost any of the fun it once had. Some might argue that being in a crowd of people as excited as they are is fun, but I guarantee you the people who get trampled don’t think so.

There are quite a few stores closing their doors this Thanksgiving. Among them are Costco, T.J.Maxx, Culver’s, and Nordstrom. To take it a step further, Nordstrom is keeping its 100-year tradition of not decorating for the holidays until after Thanksgiving. I applaud these stores for giving their employees the day off, and valuing the people who work there over making one day’s sales.

Christmas should be magical. It should be a time of light and joy, but by the time it actually rolls around I am already sick of it. People seem to forget that the 12 days of Christmas start on Christmas Day, and the 60 days of Christmas starting on Halloween is not a thing. Christmas is a great time of year so I understand why people want to start celebrating it as soon as possible, but often times it loses its meaning when so much emphasis is placed on sales earlier and earlier in the year.

Thanksgiving is constantly being cast aside because of Christmas. I understand that this year it came late, on Nov 26, but that does not mean people should simply dismiss it. Thanksgiving has its own, beautiful meaning. It is the one holiday where we take time for family, without the pressure of gifts, and reflect upon what we are grateful for. A pause worth taking during this hectic season.