Merry Christmas, Wait! No! Happy Thanksgiving!

Yes, there is a holiday in between Halloween and Christmas, but it is often left forgotten in midst of the chaotic shopping for Christmas.

Once Halloween ends and November begins, you head out to your nearest stores and see Christmas decorations, gifts and great sales for the winter holiday that people live for.

The day after Halloween, I went to my local Walmart with my mother and, as soon as we walked in through the gardening section, we were greeted by blown up polar bears in a snow globe and a variety of Christmas trees.

I looked over at my mom and she had the same thought I did.

“Do they not realize Thanksgiving hasn’t even passed?” my mother wondered out loud.

But my mother, being a Christmas lover as much as any other person, quickly forgot about her first thought and was hypnotized by all the Nativity scenes.

“You’ve got to buy them early so you can get the best price,” she said.

After I left my hypnotized mom in the many aisles of Christmas goodies,I ventured off to see if I could find one thing Thanksgiving related.

Sure enough, I found a single rack of Thanksgiving decorations, but to my surprise they were mixed in with Halloween items.

The only Thanksgiving items were table settings and more table settings, not one single greeting card or anything of that matter. How am I going to give thanks to my family members who live far way, when there aren’t any Thanksgiving cards?

Consumerism is the main reason Thanksgiving is forgotten. Buying people gifts that they don’t need and might later return has overshadowed a holiday where you actually give thanks for what you already have.

You can’t blame people for wanting to save that extra buck, but you can blame the corporations and businesses that bombard us with deals and an explosion of Christmas as early as late October.

You can’t ignore Christmas when all you see and hear are Christmas related things, and when you can’t even find one thing for Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving has really become Black Friday eve. Many people stand in line on Thanksgiving Day to be the first to grab that one item on their list, instead of being surrounded by friends and family eating yummy food.

A tip for the Black Friday shoppers from a retail employee: many stores have their Black Friday sales going on all week, and trust me when I say they have more in their stock rooms.

So instead of standing outside in the cold, enjoy your family and friends who put up with you all year round, and thank them because that is what the holidays are all about.

It is sad to see that the one holiday that is not about giving someone the best gift, but thanking them for being there and being thankful for what you already have is slowly being forgotten.