Thanksgiving is typically a holiday of enjoyment for all those who participate. It's a day filled with fun, food, and football — the three Fs many Americans would consider part of their core identity. For those of you who love this day for all that it's worth, I congratulate you. I, however, have a love/hate relationship with this day that dates back to my infancy.

I was born on Thanksgiving, arriving on this planet about the same time as my family's turkey. Thanksgiving represents so many good things in my life: another year of progress and health in my own life; a day of thankfulness, not just for the usual holiday reasons, but for the people who brought me into this world.

My mother likes to remind me of this regularly. "You know, this day serves as a double meaning for you and me," she says with a grin. "A celebration of the day you were born, your birthday, and the day you should be thankful that I brought you into this world, Thanksgiving." This conversation always leads to my comment, "I thought that was what Mother's Day was for." Apparently, in my family, Mom gets two days, and the daughters get 0.5.

Thanksgiving does hold a special meaning for me. I love the traditions. Nothing is better than walking into my grandmother's house that morning. It is a unique feeling, I don't know exactly what entices the emotions or good spirits, but everyone always walks in with a smile. Something about the spread of food, the smell of pies baking in the oven, the sounds of my family laughing, and seeing everyone spend time together makes me very sentimental. I think everyone begins to retrace every year of their life on that day, remembering how you spent it exactly the same way.

The holiday is a wonderful event. I pity those who don't get to experience this great American tradition. No one would ever want to miss out on Thanksgiving. I understand this. I, too, would love to enjoy Thanksgiving with the rest of the country, but instead I have to cram two celebrations into one.

Article Author: Colbi Beam

I am currently a journalism student at the University of Oklahoma.

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