By David Giacomini
People are always looking forward to the next holiday to celebrate. This past weekend many Drew students dressed up to celebrate Halloween. But now that October, it would appear that the next big holiday on the calendar is Thanksgiving. However, in many cases, the orange colors of the fall are quickly replaced with red and green; before Thanksgiving has even arrived we are already forgetting it existed.
Many people, and especially companies, are looking forward to the beginning of the Christmas season. Stores are beginning to advertise sales and layaway deals. You can even see Christmas decorations starting to pop up. The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, which is considered a symbol of this celebration, too has a focus on the next holiday. Once all the performances and floats have gone by, the whole parade is wrapped up with Santa Claus riding in on his sleigh. Before most families have even sat down to carve the turkey, Christmas has received its unofficial start more than a month in advance.
And so begins the countdown to Christmas. The day after Thanksgiving is the almost infamous Black Friday, where people will camp out in front of their favorite store in order to get a good deal on gifts. Some people are injured in this rush to the shelves. In recent years, many stores have even started to hold pre-Black Friday sales on Thursday night. This is one of my least favorite parts about the start holiday season.
Now don’t get me wrong, in no way am I against celebrating Christmas. Both Christmas and Thanksgiving a times where people get the chance to gather with family and friends. For many Drew students who are not close to home, these holidays might also be their first chance to see their families since the start of the school year. Also, watching the parade or going Black Friday shopping are traditions that many families have. The important thing is to take the time to really appreciate the holidays for what they are really about. While the holidays are still a long way off, do take this advice to heart.
David is a junior History major and Photography minor.
