Every year in November, my mom pulls out our Thanksgiving tablecloth. The Thanksgiving tablecloth is a tradition of ours that we have been participating in for years now, and it will always hold a special place in my heart. At some point on Thanksgiving, we sit down as a family and write down what we’re thankful for that year. The things we’ve written on the tablecloth range from simple comforts to enjoyable hobbies. When my brother and I were younger, we wrote about bacon, our family members and other things like books for me or video games for my brother. When our little brother was born, our dad wrote a list for him even though he couldn’t yet, including things such as Mr. Monkey, his favorite stuffed animal at the time, and milk. It made us smile. The Thanksgiving tablecloth holds so many memories and it means a lot to all of us.

For some people, though, Thanksgiving is thought of as a day to celebrate the colonization of the Americas, the stealing of land from Native Americans. According to them, we should not celebrate the holiday because it represents the wrong ideas. Some may consider it a day of mourning for the erasure of that time period.

Although I can understand this point of view, I believe that the true meaning of the holiday really is remembering everything we have to be grateful for and should not take for granted. Seeing those people who refuse to celebrate Thanksgiving because of this makes me feel kind of sad, because I love Thanksgiving. It’s one of my favorite times of the year, and not just because it’s the last obstacle before Christmas. I love Thanksgiving because it’s a time to cherish family and friends, and to be grateful for what we have. It’s a time to stuff yourself with turkey and sweet potato casserole until you can hardly move. It’s a time to laugh with those you love and who love you, because although we should do those things every day, we often don’t. Sometimes, we need a reminder that the things we love as well as those things that are more everyday and mundane. 

This year, I’m thankful for my parents, my brothers, books, hot chocolate and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. What are you thankful for?