We can all agree that Christmas is a very well-respected holiday. The lights, the decorations, the songs and the specials that come on the TV. On the other hand, as much as I love the holiday, I can’t bear to see it whenever the day right after Halloween, Nov. 1 hits and all I see is Christmas merchandise spread out throughout the aisles. People are way too hyped over the idea of Christmas that we tend to skip over Thanksgiving: the holiday that actually brings people together.

On that note, a lack of balance comes with celebrating Christmas so early. Every month has its holiday for a reason. You don’t celebrate Easter the minute Valentine’s Day is over because no one cares for St. Patrick’s Day, that doesn’t make sense. What’s the rush? It ruins the Christmas spirit due to how repetitive it becomes being forced down our throats.

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve noticed it has become normalized to completely ignore the fact that Thanksgiving exists, which I find to be unnecessary. What exactly are we gaining from doing so? Are we just going to forget that the department store Macy’s has been doing their annual Thanksgiving Day parade for almost 100 years? It’s been a national tradition for as long as I can remember. I don’t see any other businesses doing that for Christmas. Not to mention, there are tons of Thanksgiving specials to watch on TV, but people would rather blast Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” and Ariana Grande’s “Santa Tell Me” for 10 hours straight? Give me a break.

If anything, Christmas and Thanksgiving share one thing in common: the art of gathering together with loved ones. I’ve also begun to realize that a majority of people would rather be the ones receiving the gifts than giving, which takes the point out of both holidays as a whole. With Christmas, you get two days to celebrate on the idea of what you’re getting for people and what people are getting for you, whereas with Thanksgiving, you only get one day and the gift would already be there: a family feast. Nothing brings family together quicker than a table filled with delicious food. We tend to forget about the small things in life and that’s where I think the need for celebrating Christmas so early takes the toll.

While I understand not everyone has to celebrate Thanksgiving due to the colonization of Christopher Columbus with Native Americans, we should still be patient and mindful of the other holidays within the year. Not only for your sake but just to keep a balance within the months of the year.