In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Native Americans shared an autumn harvest feast that is acknowledged today as the first Thanksgiving celebration.  For more than two centuries, the holiday now known as Thanksgiving was celebrated by individual colonies and states. It wasn’t until 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, that President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day to be held each November.  So here we are a few centuries later, and the meaning of the holiday has been completely lost.  Students go on break, eat delicious food with their families, but other than that, Thanksgiving is just another commercial holiday.  Is it worth it to still celebrate Thanksgiving, and go on a week long break for this special holiday?

Junior class president Brittany Paris expresses her views on the importance of Thanksgiving saying, “I think it should remain a national holiday because with all the diversity, and different things going on in our country, having a holiday to reflect unites us as one.  It makes us patriotic, and allows us to have a common interest.  Giving thanks to people is so important because we’re all caught up in our daily lives, and it’s necessary to just take some time to give thanks and appreciate everyone in our lives.” Agreeing with her opinion, Freshman Judiciary representative Hannah Cohen stated, “Thanksgiving should of course remain a holiday, and the break is a necessity!  We need a few days off to just relax (and study for exams.) Seriously though, often times, people are comparing Thanksgiving to say, Halloween when in truth that’s not really fair.  The backstory of the first Thanksgiving is why we are here today, and it is important we take time off to really appreciate how lucky we are.”  Although each one of Hannah’s statements conveys wholesome points, a particularly interesting assertion occurs with the mention of exam studies over break.  Not only do students have exams to prepare for on the week of December 16^th, but also projects will be given out that are due shortly after the holiday.  Is there really a point of having a vacation to reflect on our appreciation when the main focus of our minds will be on our various studies?  Senior Joseph May has a huge English paper due immediately following the Thanksgiving break.  Of the workload, he stated, “She’s giving us class time, so it’s not a big deal.  We’ve had months to work on this paper, it’s just a matter of not procrastinating.”

In my opinion, agreeing with the general consensus, Thanksgiving should remain a national holiday in order to act as a yearly reminder of exactly how lucky we all are.  Having said that, having this time to reflect should not mean shopping and getting pulled in to the commercial sense of the holiday.  Even though the deals are tempting, it is important to remember what Thanksgiving is really about.  Take some time during break to reflect on all of the people who have helped you achieve greatness in your life.  Try and forget for just a few days all of the work you need to get done, and take some time to reflect.  Don’t take the time off to sulk in you studies, but instead spend time with your family because in the end, they are the ones who matter the most.