The Nexus

Jolene Xie

Every year, my grandparents remind us we have everything to be thankful for: the succulent spread that has been laid out before us on the table, the roof over our heads that provide us with security and family that surrounds us.

This sentiment remains in our country for sure, but only in a hushed echo. It only survives in the hearts of those who have removed themselves from the overly materialistic qualities of our current society.

Thanksgiving should be a holiday where extended families across the country all gather in merriment, gaining happiness from the company they share with each other, and the kindness in which they all contribute. The food should be almost an afterthought.

In these modern times, Thanksgiving has strayed from the values it used to encapsulate. A holiday of family togetherness, compassionate giving, and fervent reflection has been abandoned.

In its place is a holiday in which families and friends celebrate only to overstuff themselves with seasonal delights and to watch the football game on television, ruining the picture of family togetherness and love.

It is a shame that a holiday so historically significant has been widely reduced to a frivolous festivity, transformed into nothing more than an overblown feast.

The origin of the holiday is one in which the emphasis was not the food or the massive celebration, but instead a period of fasting where one was meant to reflect on what it was exactly that they were thankful for.

Now Thanksgiving has fallen like the multitudes of other holidays into materialistic depths. The feasting accompanying the holiday, the need for the perfect setup to watch the football game, each of these frivolous things is draining the spirit out of the festivity.

Now I am not suggesting that we go back to fasting on this holiday, but we do need to revert back to the ritual of contemplative thinking that evokes thankful attitudes.

Thanksgiving needs to once again be a holiday that holds significance, just as it is revered in a shrinking number of families nowadays.

The passionate words of my grandparents convey the true values of Thanksgiving.

The words are always sobering, as they remind us to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday in a manner more reminiscent of the past than we would have otherwise.

One thing the speech always does to me is move me to remember the Thanksgivings of years far past. With such a strong response that my grandparent’s words have upon me, it is my firm belief that it is necessary for everyone to receive a version of my grandparent’s words so as to evoke a sense of true Thanksgiving spirit.

It is necessary for all to experience Thanksgiving for its original intent, as it has been neglected in recent years.

This time of year is meant for us to come together with our family.

It does not matter whether you are generally fond of your relatives or not. It is time to put the previous discrepancies that you have had behind you.

All one needs to remember is that a common bond connects us all, a familial bond that remains strong though at times it may appear to be weakened.

It allows us to remember that no matter how much people may seem different at first, there is always a bond connecting us to everyone else.

With the warm tidings of jolly familial embraces, we are reminded that when others are experiencing happiness, it spreads to us, to those all around.

Thus we remember the importance of giving aid to those less fortunate than us, for there are always those in need of help. Even the most selfless act will most likely, in the end, benefit us with the sense of resonating compassion.

So cast aside your previous notions of Thanksgiving formed by cold modern-day life. Cast aside caring only for the turkey and potatoes you are about to devour.

Be compassionate. Care for your family. And embrace the true values of the Thanksgiving holiday.