Fall is a time for traditions: carving pumpkins, having bonfires, and hosting Halloween parties. However, when October comes to an end and the Halloween festivities conclude, families practice another tradition: forgetting Thanksgiving. They jump straight to Christmas, completely ignoring the almost 400-year old holiday. “We go from “Trick or treat” to “Season’s Greetings” in the blink of an eye,” writes Relevant Magazine. Christmas trees are put up, lights are hung, and the Pilgrims are neglected.

The first Thanksgiving Day occurred in 1621, celebrating the Pilgrims’ first successful harvest. According to History of Thanksgiving at History.com, “…Governor William Bradford organized a celebratory feast and invited a group of the fledgling colony’s Native American allies, including the Wampanoag chief Massasoit.” A second Thanksgiving feast was held in 1623 to celebrate the end of a drought that threatened the harvest. States and colonies individually celebrated Thanksgiving in the years following, but it wasn’t for another 240 years, in 1863 at the height of the Civil War, that Thanksgiving was declared a national holiday by President Abraham Lincoln.

Thanksgiving is the most American day of the year. Every American stereotype is filled on this day, from supporting unnecessary nationalism to stuffing one’s face with the unhealthiest foods they can find, ending with a boom in commercialism as Americans rush to get the best deals of the season. So why is it that everyone seems to completely ignore the holiday altogether? Shouldn’t it be the most celebrated holiday of the season? Several theories exist as to why U.S. citizens view Thanksgiving as a subpar holiday.

Some suggest that a lack of Thanksgiving music prevents us from getting into the turkey spirit. Around Halloween, spooky classics such as Michael Jackson’s Thriller and Bobby “Boris” Pickett’s Monster Mash can be heard in practically every department store. During the month of December, hit scan on the radio and it’s likely that every other station will be playing a range of Christmas themed music. It’s easy to get excited for a holiday when a catchy song like Jingle Bell Rock plays every time the radio turns on. However, Thanksgiving doesn’t have any songs some people might catch themselves humming in the midst of basting a turkey.

Another idea as to why Thanksgiving is treated as a speed bump on the way to Christmas may be that Americans don’t receive on Thanksgiving. It has the word ‘give’ in it, and perhaps that’s what scares Americans away. On Halloween and Christmas, candy and gifts are received. On Thanksgiving, all that’s receive is a bloated stomach and a distant relative bombarding you with questions about your love life while managing to push their unwanted political views into every conversation. Neverwhatyouthink.com writes, “Perhaps we have given in to commercialism and only celebrate seasons that businesses can capitalize on.” Today, few to none would choose to ‘give thanks’ over receiving a new iPhone or a new outfit.

Perhaps Thanksgiving doesn’t receive the recognition it deserves because it has strayed so far from the original meaning. The early Pilgrims held a Thanksgiving feast because they were grateful to have one successful harvest. Today, there is so much for which to be thankful. This holiday season, let everyone put their Christmas Carols on pause, and stop to think about all the many things there are to have gratitude about.