Dear Steemit,
thanksgiving is always called out for being a holiday based on theft and genocide. Rightfully too! The origins of the holiday in the USA are barbaric, and nothing worth celebrating.
But if you skip forward to this day and age, I think the holiday is beautiful, and the most wholesome one we have.
Unlike all the others (Christmas, Easter, Halloween, even Valentine's Day) it's not based around giving and receiving. You aren't obligated to spend money on people. You aren't expecting any presents yourself. It's not a day of greed, it's a day of gratitude.
We don't gain anything from it in the material sense. Sure, thanksgiving dinner can get pricey, but no one seems to mind. Lots of social gatherings surround food, and these dinners bring the whole family together. While I don't think we should need an excuse to do so, I can't deny that we all get caught up in our own lives. Without holidays or special occasions, seeing extended families would probably slip our minds.
This holiday gives us a reason to see each other solely for the sake of seeing each other. It brings us closer together than Christmas does, with it's half-hearted gift giving and the stress of surviving the debt you just dug up. Remove the materialism and we are able to enjoy the company of family, and this is coming from someone with social anxiety. I usually just retreat to the background and watch everyone else connect. But it's still something I love to do, and I think not participating leaves it even more beautiful to me.
Since it's also supposed to be a day of giving thanks, I also think we gain a lot from it spiritually. We should practice gratitude daily, and I really try to. But getting to share that gratitude with others makes it all the better.
So yes, the roots of thanksgiving are not good, but we don't live in the past. We can recognize the horrible things that occurred but still have a nice meal and good company. Maybe in the future we will drop this holiday, but I sure hope a similar one will replace it.
But if not, it's always a good day to give thanks and let your family know you love them. There's no need to wait around for the calendar to tell you so.
