It happens every year. As soon as Halloween ends, stores rip down the spooky decorations, tuck away the costumes, and throw up red and green lights in the aisles like Christmas exploded overnight. Carols start playing, holiday sales kick off, and the seasonal train races forward like Thanksgiving doesn’t even exist. Our poor friend Thanksgiving—sandwiched between the costume-crazed Halloween and the snow globe spectacle of Christmas—is left in the shadows, a mere pit stop on the way to the big show. But why? How did Thanksgiving, a holiday all about food, family, and gratitude, get relegated to a one-day afterthought?

Let’s face it: Thanksgiving doesn’t have the commercial appeal of other holidays. There’s no costume shopping, no extravagant gift-giving frenzy, no long list of decor updates that stores can market and sell. Thanksgiving is really just a big meal with family, and, sure, maybe some football. To a business, it’s not exactly a gold mine.

But isn’t that kind of the point? Thanksgiving is a pause in the middle of the hectic holiday rush. It’s a time to be with loved ones, reflect, and simply enjoy a meal together. No distractions, no stress about gifts, just an appreciation for what we already have. That’s powerful—and rare—in today’s world. And yet, because it doesn’t fit the commercial mold, it’s overlooked, overshadowed, and rushed past on our way to the next shiny thing.

Then there’s the Black Friday madness. Thanksgiving Day barely wraps up before retailers are waving discounts in our faces, urging us to swap quality time with family for shopping lines and deals. What was once a quiet evening of leftovers and movies has now become the chaotic prelude to Black Friday, a day that, for some, has eclipsed Thanksgiving in importance. Shopping on Thanksgiving? That says a lot about how we view this holiday now, doesn’t it?

Beyond that, Thanksgiving’s traditions haven’t exactly evolved, either. Sure, there’s the turkey, the stuffing, the parade on TV, and, of course, the nap afterward. But compare that to the ever-expanding traditions of Halloween or the month-long festivities of Christmas. Thanksgiving traditions have stayed largely the same for decades, maybe because, at its core, it’s not about spectacle but about substance, about gathering together to share a moment of gratitude. Thanksgiving’s timeless simplicity is its beauty, but it also makes it easy to overlook.

So, here’s my proposal: Let’s reclaim Thanksgiving. Let’s treat it like the season it deserves to be. Let’s appreciate this holiday as more than just a meal or an excuse to start holiday shopping. Because Thanksgiving, in its quiet, understated way, reminds us of what’s real—family, gratitude, slowing down, and connecting. We could use more of that, not less.

So next time you’re in a store in early November and all you see is red and green, maybe take a moment to honor Thanksgiving, the quiet hero of the holidays, and celebrate it for what it is—a reminder of what matters most.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone