Thanksgiving is a holiday that is often overlooked during the fall. Many people, including myself, are guilty of jumping right from pumpkins and Halloween movies to Christmas music and wintery activities.

But to do this is to disregard all the unique aspects of Thanksgiving. Here are just a few of them.

Food

Many people, when thinking about Thanksgiving, first think of all the different types of food they’re looking forward to eating. Some people might even say that the food is why Thanksgiving is their favorite holiday.

Turkey, cranberry sauce and stuffing are among the foods that are linked to the holiday. Cranberry sauce specifically is a food that many people only eat for Thanksgiving dinner. But whether the food eaten is seasonal or just a favorite dish in general, it is obvious that food is a major part of any Thanksgiving.

Shopping Deals

Black Friday is the biggest shopping day of the year, and for good reason. Across the country, businesses offer low prices and deals to anyone committed enough to face the crowds. This is when many people do their holiday shopping, since they can buy so much for so little. In fact, Black Friday has become so popular that some deals are even offered on Thanksgiving night.

Carrying over into the next week, Cyber Monday is a day when low prices and deals are brought to the internet. Though it would be expected to be calmer than the rush of Black Friday sales, Cyber Monday is subject to limited quantities of items, just like in-person Black Friday shopping.

Discounts at stores and online are some things that holiday shoppers and shopping aficionados alike look forward to most during the Thanksgiving season.

Community

Thanksgiving is a time when people get to spend time with their friends and family. Since it’s a national holiday, no one is in school and most people have off from work, which allows families and friends to get to spend time with each other. It’s a great holiday to finally be able to sit down with loved ones, slowing down the crazy hub bub of life and actually enjoying one anothers company.

One of the most uniquely Thanksgiving-related activities for friends is sometimes referred to as Friendsgiving. As the name suggests, Friendsgiving is basically like a regular Thanksgiving dinner, but spent exclusively with friends.

Virginia Alalouf, a junior elementary education and writing arts double major, said Friendsgiving with her high school friends is one of her favorite Thanksgiving traditions.

“It’s a good feeling to see how your friends from high school are doing,” Alalouf said. “We’ve all matured and evolved as individuals, but in a way, we’re still the same people who love being around one another.”

Thankfulness

Last, but certainly not least, Thanksgiving is a time set aside to celebrate what we have and to remind ourselves to be grateful for that.

Whether the things we are grateful for are materialistic, like finally getting a new pair of shoes, or more sentimental, like the friends and family members we surround ourselves with, Thanksgiving is a great time to reflect on those. It’s a yearly reminder that nothing in life should be taken for granted.

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