With Thanksgiving coming and going quickly, I think it’s important to know where the holiday came from. Writing an article explaining how Thanksgiving came to be wouldn’t be any different though, since this was an article I wrote for HerCampus last Thanksgiving. Instead, I want to write about what Thanksgiving means to me.
Yes. Thanksgiving is about giving thanks to all those whom you appreciate, but it’s more than that. It’s about realizing what you have, who you have, and spending time together.
My birthday is always within a day or two of Thanksgiving, sometimes on Thanksgiving. I have always loved this because I was with family to celebrate. Even if my birthday wasn’t on Thanksgiving, my mom would have a cake and be ready to sing happy birthday while the whole family was there. When I was little, I would always think how lucky I was because my birthday was the perfect amount of time away from Christmas, so I would get gifts for both without being gypped for either. As I got older though, I realized it wasn’t just about that though. It was so much more.
As the years went on and my family transformed and expanded, I realized just how fortunate I was to have my birthday around this time. The greatest thing I could ever ask for was to be surrounded by people who love and care about me and this is what I have always had for my birthday. Even when my family was broken for a few years, we still managed to be together with other family members and welcome in a step family.
Getting older isn’t so terrible, but it is terrible in a way because now I see just how busy everyone is and how hard it is for us all to be together on a regular basis. This Thanksgiving though, I had everyone I could ever need in my home with me to celebrate and be thankful for one another. My family may not be big. We may not have a table set for 10, or 17, but my small, mixed family, is the greatest gift I have ever received and for this I am thankful.