America is home to a variety of cultures with their own rich histories, combining to create 11 federal holidays and an assortment of other celebrations. My most memorable celebrations each year have been Easter, the Fourth of July, Halloween, and Christmas. And with another celebration behind me, I can comfortably say that all other holidays pale in comparison to the seasonal powerhouse that is Thanksgiving.
First to compete is Easter, the holiday of rebirth, the coming of spring, but most of all, little chocolate bunnies wrapped in foil. It would seem as though Easter is entering this fight on even footing, but what Easter lacks, and Thanksgiving has in abundance, is good food.
Nothing I can eat at Easter is going to be good enough to make me lie belly-up on the couch weighing an extra ten pounds for an hour in between courses, and then have me coming back for a dessert round. Thanksgiving mixes the sweet, the savory, and every other flavor into the single most memorable culinary experience of the American year.
One holiday that almost competes with Thanksgiving in terms of food is the Fourth of July. Very few things are more American than bacon-wrapped everything, loud music, and bright explosions, but the truth is that Thanksgiving has held significance to the American people far longer than Fourth of July.
Thanksgiving was made official by Abraham Lincoln in 1863, seven years before the Fourth of July was officially recognized by Congress. Not to mention that the first Thanksgiving was 155 years before the first Fourth of July celebration.
The holiday that truly does not stand a chance against Thanksgiving is Halloween. Don’t get me wrong, it is always fun to dress up as your favorite character and spend time with your friends, but it isn’t for everyone. Seventy-four percent of respondents to a poll on The Ghostwriter’s Instagram account said that they no longer trick-or-treated, meaning that many have stopped taking part in one of Halloween’s core activities.
Unlike Halloween, Thanksgiving is a celebration for all ages, as the appeal of food transcends time.
Finally, America’s favorite holiday: Christmas. Both Christmas and Thanksgiving involve sharing with the people that you care about, but Christmas, as it is known, suffers from the weight of consumerism. In 2022, consumers were projected to return an estimated $816 billion worth of gifts, most of which ending up in landfills. This waste doesn’t even take into consideration all of the wrappings, trees, and decorations thrown away during the Christmas season.
Thanksgiving is different from Christmas because, instead of causing us to think about what we may want, it makes us remember what we really need. During Thanksgiving all you are asked to do is sit down with your family, eat the food perfected over hundreds of years of tradition, reflect on what you have, and realize that what you should be thankful for is the people you get to share it with. And to me, no holiday can compete with that.
