Who cares about Thanksgiving?

[Varrack 1,080]

Well, i can't really care for it, as it's an american holiday. Here in australia, we don't celebrate thanksgiving i believe. If we do, no one i've ever met has ever done it before. so i dont really care for it, make sense?

Do you celebrate other ones like Halloween and Christmas?

[CinnamonPop 3,354]

Pfft... Typical "city folk" not caring about thanksgivin' again. Ok, I'll stop.

 

My family at least takes the holiday well. We usually have a big get together with most of the members of our current family. It's fun because most of my cousins are my age, and all of us usually play with our uncle who is usually hyperactive. Yet, he's passing a kidney stone right now, and he might not be back in the hospital till the week before Christmas.

[Izanagi 176]

Do you celebrate other ones like Halloween and Christmas?

we do celebrate christmas, but not halloween (we can but it's not a big aussie thing)

[Partialgeek514 5,016]

Here in Canada, we have Thanksgiving in October, so Christmas doesn't really block it out. Remembrance Day can be overlooked a bit though. What I really don't get is why we have black friday sales up here. At least they're not as crazy as the American ones, but still, it's not like we have a holiday right before it. I can understand how in the US it marks the beginning of the Christmas season since it's right after another major holiday. But as for black friday in Canada, the only reason I see for it is that stores are copying an American tradition. I don't really have a problem with it being here, but it still confuses me.

[Tao 9,671]

I love a good day of off from work and full of food and with my kin!   I never did do black Friday -_-

[cider float 2,539]

It means the corporate businesses that own Christmas are now trying to take over Thanksgiving as well.

[Kyoshi Frost Wolf 42,207]

Funny thing is, Thanksgiving is actually supposed to be about the opposite of what people talk about. As far as I know, Thanksgiving is supposed to be one day that we shouldn't have to be thankful for. A day where we can just not worry about the hardships of life and just enjoy a feast with friends and family. For that, I do enjoy the holiday. Having a wonderful meal with family and everyone is in a positive mindset uplifts me, at least for a little bit. Plus, turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy? Bliss. <3

[Samurai Equine 57,434]

My family has always celebrated Thanksgiving. It's kind of funny, really. America is often called a glutinous, wasteful nation; and Thanksgiving practically personifies this. The whole point is to gather up way more food than you would ever eat in one sitting and challenge yourself to eat past your limits. No joke! I once heard a Thanksgiving song that had the line "Don't tell me your belly's aching!" It's really silly, but past all that, I do like just spending time with the family and making some positive memories. That really is the best part of the holiday, even if we're all on diets. When your family is as big and messed up as mine can be, or worse, sometimes making as many positive memories as possible is the best thing you can do. 

[Lisa 5,553]

Not me, considering my country doesn't celebrate Thanksgiving.

[Bird Mom 902]

I enjoy Thanksgiving. It's rare that both sides of my family join together. And the food is also really good, especially the pies.

[gamecubeguy214 2,516]

I love Thanksgiving, food is my life.

[simba86 1,541]

we traditionally shoot stuff and then eat turkey on thanksgiving

[Tameless 980]

Thanksgiving in my household is not very "cheery". We either go on vacation somewhere or just have a small gathering but with no other family. Christmas of course is bigger and personally I don't care for Thanksgiving.

[Moonlight 7,291]

I really don't. It's just a really boring holiday compared to Christmas/Halloween for me. It's mostly an excuse to stuff your face and since I barely eat I don't have all that much to do. Plus I hate being forced to spend time at family dinners (same thing with Christmas really but at least Christmas has other actually enjoyable things going on). Christmas will always be best holiday honestly and it's the only time I look forward to all year.

[SquipyCheetah 449]

I have never really cared for it since my family doesn't really celebrate it. Maybe I do kinda like it cause it gives me time off from school.

[best poni 1,521]

I still do, even though my thanksgiving is probably going to suck this year.  :okiedokielokie:

[Akari of Duskshire 581]

I don't have strong feelings toward the holiday (or really, any holiday, not even my birthday), but I always want to hold a small feast for my family on that day. The intentions and the history makes it sweeter.

[DageNox 109]

To me I find it nice when people get together on Thanksgiving, that and I hate when people start getting ready for Christmas so early! All my family does is have a Thanksgiving feast and sometimes we invite people over. This year we'll be inviting our Aunt and Uncle (Dad's side) because they have no one to share this holiday with and that would be sad if they didn't celebrate with us.  

[Wind Chaser 4,769]

I care deeply about Thanksgiving. It seems to have become the more spiritual alternative for Christmas for those who feel that the latter holiday's sincerity has been compromised by the commercialization and such, and it's why so many are fiercely resistant to Thanksgiving being rolled over in anticipation of Christmas. I saw one person theorize in a comments section that the reason why Thanksgiving is getting rolled over is because Thanksgiving is about being thankful for what we have, while the gift-giving tradition of Christmas is about getting more stuff, hence being more consumer-friendly.

 

I don't think there's anything wrong with celebrating Christmas early, in fact my family and I infuse some of Christmas into it; the Christmas music on the radio traditionally starts around this coming weekend in my area (although I also made a YouTube playlist as a backup) and we put the tree and Christmas decorations up after Thanksgiving is over.

 

Even though the actual origins of Thanksgiving have been questioned more over the years, here's how I see it. Owing to the cultural origins of the modern American version of the holiday, it is set back to Puritan New England in the mid/late 1600s. Being from the Northeast, I can attest that winters are harsh - if the temperatures don't get you, the volatility of the storm systems from tropical Nor'Easters to polar lows and messed-up hybrid megastorms will definitely knock you for a loop. And if you think pulling through a storm in the 2010s is tough, think about the 1600s.

 

This was the pre-industrial, agricultural era. This was a brand-new country, most of the tribes had lived off of the land. They didn't build infrastructure like we do. There wasn't gas, electricity, or running water. The colonists lived in houses made of wood.

 

In a harsh, little-known environment, the Pilgrims had one main thing to be thankful for, their harvest. They had grown enough food to get through the winter and had some help from the locals to thank for that. If not for that, they would have perished for sure. Thanksgiving is a testament to the gifts of cooperation and ingenuity. It's a reminder of the fact that cooperation is more constructive to survival in a harsh situation. For us to lose that entirely in the face of the extension of Black Friday, an event in which nonessential workers are put in danger over dog-eat-dog, impulsive consumerism, is absurd.

 

In all things, just remember how the fact that we survive at all is a miracle. It's not exactly shallow indulgence unless you remember why we do what we do. Be glad we have what we have; our friends and family, our life, security, and safety, as well as comfort and entertainment. There are many in this world who don't have nearly as much and it's time to straighten out, forget your first-world problems, and be grateful. It's tough to imagine what it would be had things been different.

Edited November 20, 2015 by Wind Chaser

[Envy 6,489]

I have to work Thanksgiving since retailers have decided that Black Friday now happens on Thanksgiving. So I don't get Thanksgivings anymore.

[Tranquil Claw 80]

I will be giving thanks to three days off school for this Thanksgiving. Other than that I don't have any plans.

[iceestarz 5,789]

I'm kinda indifferent on thanksgiving. Tbh it really doesn't matter to me. I enjoy being with my family and am thankful for them all the time. Though I do wish I could spend it with them this year, but sadly I won't be able to since I'm so far away. On the bright side I won't be stuck on campus all by myself, I'm celebrating thanksgiving with my boyfriend and his aunt and his cousin.

 

Halloween is kinda meh to me now. I could care less about it. It didn't even feel like Halloween existed this year. Spent it with my boyfriend and his parents since they came up that weekend.

 

As for Christmas...MOTHER OF GOD THAT IS MY HOLIDAY. waking up and seeing all the beautiful presents under the tree, opening gifts and watching my two little brothers get super excited is just awesome. Plus my mom makes cinnamon rolls once a year and it's always on Christmas morning hell yes!

[Vendi 407]

I'm thankful for thanksgiving and the food that comes with it.

[Unikitty 1,212]

Voodoo comes the West Indies, not Africa.

Uh. Might want to recheck your information. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_African_Vodun

Even though the word 'Voodoo' has become a sort of umbrella term for all non-European mysticism, it didn't start in Haiti. It traveled there through African slave trades.

 

Back on topic: As an Australian, Thanksgiving has absolutely nothing to do with our society and therefor we don't even notice it go by. I couldn't even tell you the day it's on, no matter how hard I try recall.

[Steel Accord 6,660]

 

 

Uh. Might want to recheck your information. https://en.wikipedia...t_African_VodunEven though the word 'Voodoo' has become a sort of umbrella term for all non-European mysticism, it didn't start in Haiti. It traveled there through African slave trades.

 

My grievous mistake, I thought Voodoo had it's source in African tradition but was a uniquely Haitian faith.