Fall, especially around Thanksgiving, is one of my favorite times of the year. There’s great food, beautiful trees and even overrated pumpkin spice lattes. It’s a time for family and a time to be thankful for the things you have been blessed with as well as the people around us.
My question for you is this: Why are we so thankful around Thanksgiving? Shouldn’t we show the people around us that we are thankful for them all year round?
It seems like almost suddenly, Facebook becomes bombarded with sweet paragraphs about all of the amazing people that are in our lives. This is GREAT, don’t get me wrong. I love that your now thankful that your boyfriend doesn’t ever do his dishes because now, a year later, you find this trait endearing and it’s just so cute. Seriously, I want to read more. But why only one day of the year? What is it exactly about the holiday that has everyone feeling fuzzy and warm about all the wonderful things they have to be thankful for?
Perhaps it is the tradition of the holiday and the holiday spirit.
A co-worker of mine recently told me that while she isn’t an avid user of Facebook or social media sites, there is something about the Thanksgiving holiday and fall season in general, that brings out her sentimental side. Facebook is her platform to let people know that yes, she really is thankful for her children, her family and all the amazing people in her life.
“It’s just a trend now,” she said.
One that she fully participates in. She loves her kids, she loves her family and while she loves them all the time, Thanksgiving is a holiday that celebrates thankfulness and Facebook-statusing up just seems appropriate.
Tradition seems to be something that is slowly fading in our country – these days breaking tradition is in. I’m all for sticking it to the man, breaking free from chains, being Gaga in our daily lives, but there is something about sitting down with family and sharing a meal and saying what you’re thankful for that is sad to think about losing. The tradition of Thanksgiving is long-standing in our country and society. So rather than having the tradition fade, people are just incorporating social media platforms like Facebook into their tradition, creating a trend, or maybe even a new tradition.
Holidays tend to be slower times in our lives which give us more opportunities to reflect on all that we have.
There is something about time off of school and work that reminds us of all we truly have. There’s just something in the air. People seem to be happier and less stressed out around the holidays.
It seems to have to do with the fact that people have more time. Holidays are a time where people typically don’t have to work and are able to relax more. There’s nothing like time that gets people thinking. People who may not have had the time, brain power or energy during a normal busy work or school week are now able to reflect and voice how appreciative they are.
We suck at saying it face-to-face.
I have come to the conclusion that the majority of “novels” people put on Facebook would be really weird to say to someone face-to-face, or just uncomfortable. It’s a lot easier and convenient to say everything via social media. While face-to-face might play out like a scene from a Nicholas Sparks novel, posting a status is more relaxed and informal, but still meaningful. You can also tag your whole family, extended family, your dog and Shonda Rhimes in one swoop and be done with it – IT’S GREAT. Thank you, Zuckerberg.
Possibly I’m alone in this explanation (please let me know if I’m not).
Approximately 49 weeks out of the year, I’m stressed out, worried about school, work, boys, money, rent, food, drugs (kidding)…the list goes on. I take the holiday as a time to remind people that although I am busy and often forget to let them know how much I f***ing adore them during the year, I really do have a soul and they truly are appreciated. It’s a time for people (possibly only me) to let others know that it’s not all rock n’ roll. We still are the kind, complimenting granting, sweet souls and college has not corrupted us into liberal PBR-drinking, pot-smoking, class-skipping infidels.
This is the REAL reason why people are so thankful: food
Something about good food (especially when you’ve been eating a lot of Shafer) can really make one appreciate life. Mouth-watering turkeys, filling stuffing and endless pies — it’s almost like you have to Instagram your dinner table and give thanks to whomever cooked that meal!
All of those reasons aside, we really should take the time to frequently thank and recognize the important people in our lives. Whether it is a staus, Instagram photo, tweet or even a phone call, it means a lot to know that someone cares and appreciates you on days other than Thanksgiving. Yes it’s tradition and yes we have extra time to ruminate on how much people mean to us, and yes we want to share it with our Facebook world, but we should try to make it more customary in our life – a part of our culture and society.
So with that, I challenge you all to tell the people who you are thankful for, that you appreciate, how you feel more frequently and on days other than holidays.
*photo cred: www.troll.me, http://www.hdwallpapersinn.com/fall-wallpapers.html