By Emma Hoang
Thanksgiving kinda sucks. It’s one of the most boring holidays of the year. Why? Well, first off it’s in between the two most exciting holidays. Christmas and Halloween definitely overshadow it. People don’t even decorate that much for Thanksgiving. Houses are still decorated with Halloween decorations and some are already decorated with Christmas ones. You barely see a turkey wearing a pilgrim hat on lawns.
Second, Thanksgiving food is terrible. It’s tradition to roast a whole turkey and eat it. But have you ever heard of someone that actually enjoys turkey more than chicken? It’s dry, sometimes bland depending on who is making it, and it’s truly a boring main dish. Don’t get me started on the many side dishes that are generic and year-round. People can eat mac and cheese whenever they want. Stuffing isn’t very hard to miss either. The other side dishes are mostly vegetables or fruits that are made to taste better. Take for example, green bean casserole or sweet potatoes with marshmallows. They’re good but kind of basic. My boyfriend Evan can also agree that Thanksgiving food sucks. “I don’t like eating pumpkin pie”. My sister Sydney says, “I hate cranberry sauce”. There’s always one dish that someone doesn’t like. My friend Destiny says, “Turkey, beans, stuffing, appetizers, cranberry sauce, 3 types of pie; the costs are just so high.” Not only is the food not great but the costs of buying it all to cook is high during this time. Think about the heart burn and the puking if you overdo it too. Not fun. Now, I can’t speak for everyone as we all have different plates on Thanksgiving. But we can all agree that the food is just boring and not that good.
What are even the activities that people do on Thanksgiving? Some do arts and crafts, some get drunk, and some watch the many shows like the Macy’s Day Parade. A lot of people like to watch the football game that’s on too. It’s an overall day of not exciting activities. You could easily watch football, get drunk, or do crafts on any day of the year. The parade and the dog shows that come on are also not too exciting either. If you miss them, you’re not really missing anything. Majority of Thanksgiving is the cleaning up from dinner. My friend Destiny says, “There is so much work involved only to find a sink of dishes from the cooking, then another sinkful from serving, yet more dishes from eating! After 2 or 3 days of prep, the last thing I want is to do dishes. Then having to work through it all to pay for the meal.” The pile up on dishes after everyone is done is horrendous and taking out the garbage will break your back.
Do you ever wonder where family members come from too? Thanksgiving is the perfect holiday to reconnect with family that you’ve never seen before and don’t want to. This year, Thanksgiving is held at my house which never happens. I really can’t wait to clean after the giant mess my family leaves for me at the end of the night. I’m so looking forward to seeing my drunk uncles stumble around the house like zombies from The Walking Dead too. “I don’t like talking to family, cleaning, and prepping the food,” says Sydney. The lead up to the holiday isn’t very intriguing either. People are rushing to make a dish to bring to the table and going to the grocery stores during this time is hectic. “I hate hearing the same stories over and over again,” says Evan. Every time Evan’s family gets together, they always reminisce about the same things. Nothing is new. Can’t forget the saying “Oh you’ve grown up so much” or “Do you have a boyfriend now?” The questions never end and the embarrassment is overwhelming. “And maybe it’s just me but I hate the societal pressure to see my family. My extended family all has bad blood between them. When together, it’s nothing but fighting. I choose not to see my family around the holidays and the expectation that I should is not great. Just another reason to guilt trip each other into temporary truces that don’t last,” says Destiny. Thanksgiving is like a family reunion you don’t want to participate in.
The day after Thanksgiving. Black Friday. Not only is going grocery shopping for food ingredients just awful, but the fact that Black Friday shopping is right after. Although we live in a time where mostly everything is online now, people are on their phones just looking at deals. After the conversations die down for the night and everyone is just ready to head back to their homes, they’re all just staring blankly at their screens. My family used to leave Thanksgiving meals right after they ate to run to the mall for Black Friday. Way to show you’re grateful for family right? Nope, we’re grateful for the deals at the stores instead. Destiny says, “With gift giving holidays right after, the costs are outrageous.” With Christmas being after Thanksgiving, people are doing early shopping and Black Friday is the best day to look for gifts. Every store is a disaster with people trying to buy food and gifts. Make sure to not get run over by a cart or trampled by a crowd of people trying to shop.
Overall, Thanksgiving isn’t all that. Have you ever asked someone what their favorite holiday is? Chances are they won’t say Thanksgiving. There are so many holidays that overshadow it. Everyone would probably prefer dressing up on Halloween, opening presents on Christmas, Easter egg hunts, going on Valentine’s Day dates, drinking beer on St. Patty’s, watching fireworks on 4th of July, and etc. Those all seem more fun than having a bland dinner on Thanksgiving with those annoying family members you see once or twice a year. Who says you’re not grateful every day of the year? You don’t need a holiday to say your thanks. Thanksgiving sucks.
Spring 2026 
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