Thanksgiving is overrated. From the food to the excess amount of family who you barely know, Thanksgiving is a holiday that shouldn’t be as appreciated as it already is. It isn’t a holiday that many people even get excited for, rather it’s just any other family gathering with some extra little activities.
According to Hazel Quezada, a sophomore at Chandler High, she thinks that Thanksgiving is also overrated. She says, “Personally, I think that Thanksgiving is overrated because the food is mediocre and the turkey cutting is dramatized. It is also made to think that eating so much food is normal and fun because it is a special day.” She questions why we can’t eat normally like any other day. It is not only the food that is a dealbreaker for an enjoyable experience, but it is also family that contributes to why it is overrated. Hazel adds, “I think that the people you’re surrounded by make a huge difference. I’d much rather be with my friends and immediate family. Being around family members who are practically strangers doesn’t make the experience very fun.” Since family is the main focus of Thanksgiving, I think it should be emphasized more. Most people will celebrate one or the other of mom’s or dad’s side of the family which separates immediate family, as hazel had mentioned would be a greater alternative.
I also wonder why Thanksgiving is made to be such a big deal for many people. Eating food and watching football for hours on end isn’t really that fun and it becomes socially draining.
On a more serious note, Thanksgiving arises many different feelings in people, such as frustration through the history of the holiday. Through personal experience and the viewpoint of Gigi Noriega, a freshman at Chandler High, Thanksgiving is a holiday that hides its history. She says, “I think that Thanksgiving is a non-inclusive holiday that is taught that it includes indigenous people.” She notes how the celebration shows a lack of acknowledgement of its history of settlers and indigenous people of America’s land.
I think that overall, Thanksgiving has changed a lot and many people feel very different about it, whether they enjoy it or not. I think the idea of celebrating Thanksgiving with mass amounts of food and family is overwhelming and doesn’t mean much honestly.
