Thanksgiving is a common holiday celebrated among many American families in the US. It is typically acknowledged as a time of thanks and love, as everyone is grateful for their families and friends. Maybe some people hate the food, which is why it’s ranked lower on everyone’s favorite holiday rankings, but it isn’t the main reason it’s overlooked in America. 

There’s a dark side of Thanksgiving where it isn’t filled with love and gratitude, instead, some people view it as a celebration of the conquest of Native Americans. Some people consider it as a reminder of the horrific acts that impacted the Natives. They were faced with millions of deaths in their community, their land and homes were stolen from them, and they were consistently threatened for their culture as people attempted to destroy it. While for Americans, it’s usually a celebration of the harvest and blessings of the past years they’ve lived. This started the tradition and whole idea of being thankful for their loved ones. It is a time where everyone gets together to create new memories. However, it isn’t viewed this way by everyone, specifically those whose families were affected and had a negative perspective on this holiday. 

Also, another idea of why Thanksgiving is a holiday many people don’t get overly excited about compared to Christmas or their birthdays is because it doesn’t involve gift giving. Everyone is thankful during Christmas and their birthdays for family and grateful for the many things they have, however, gift-giving brings more appeal to it. There is a selfish side to holidays when gifts are involved. 

Thanksgiving is known as a holiday where people are strictly with family, however not everyone enjoys this. For example, celebrations like birthdays usually involve friends as well which makes it much more exciting to look forward to. As opposed to spending it with family, arguments and disagreements may arise or people might feel a sense of discomfort compared to when they are around their friends. Hence” Friendsgiving” was created. It is Thanksgiving, but instead of celebrating with family, it is solely for friends to get together and celebrate the holiday. 

The mood and vibes of Thanksgiving are another thing that makes it less exciting for people to look forward to as well. Christmas is known for its stunning lights, fun activities, and music which brings nostalgia and excitement to children. When the songs are immediately played, they bring back memories of past years and set the mood. Thanksgiving doesn’t possess any of this. There is no special Thanksgiving music that entertains people, and neither are there any fun activities to anticipate. For example, on Halloween, there are activities such as carving pumpkins, dressing up, and getting candy. Thanksgiving does not have any sort of engaging activities that people are excited about.