‘Tis the Thanksgiving season

Some people have already starting preparing for Christmas and are missing the important points of Thanksgiving. Sure, Christmas is an awesome holiday that brings families together, but Thanksgiving has many virtues as well.

Thanksgiving is a perfect opportunity for us to give thanks for everything in our lives. It brings families together, too. Besides, there’s always Black Friday after Thanksgiving when every store throws a huge sale to kick off the holiday season, and this can’t happen without Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving is all about tradition. Morning parades, much-anticipated football games, visits from relatives and the constant waft of cooking from the kitchen makes up a typical Thanksgiving Day. Of course, the most important event of Thanksgiving is the turkey itself. No matter how, what or why you celebrate Thanksgiving, it’s not “Turkey Day” without the big fat bird, and woes belong to anyone who dares to think otherwise. I’ve heard of one family that dared to serve salmon instead of turkey many years ago, and as far as I know, none of their friends or relatives has ever set foot in their house on Thanksgiving ever again.

Football is another staple of thanksgiving, particularly for the men. This year, three games will be played throughout the day. Those games include the Houston Texans versus Detroit Lions, Washington Redskins versus Dallas Cowboys and the New England Patriots versus New York Jets. Of course, you don’t need to watch it only on TV. Get your dad, uncle, grandpa, cousins, or whatever football-loving family members or friends you have and go throw around some pigskin outside. Plus, this kind of activity helps to work up a real appetite for when Thanksgiving dinner is served.

Now on to the main attraction: The dinner itself. Out of all things that people look forward to on Thanksgiving Day, most look forward to the feast itself. Granted, the menu is different for many families and is not written in stone, but a turkey and pies are traditional items. As for myself, I love a great spread of turkey, potatoes, yams, bread rolls and different flavors of pie. We eat all the delicious dishes until our stomachs came close to bursting, then slink to the couches in a partially turkey-induced coma. Do you know why you often feel so sleepy after Thanksgiving dinner? It’s the tryptophan in the turkey. It’s like nature’s sleep pills.

Then come Friday morning, and it’s off to the shops to hoard up on Christmas goodies.