Thanksgiving; a forgotten time of family, friends, food. Thanksgiving is a widely-celebrated holiday throughout the United States; however, it can’t seem to compete with Christmas. The consumerism surrounding Christmas can be overwhelming. Stores race to stock up on the latest holiday trends, and, throughout this chaos, Thanksgiving can seemingly be ignored, as fewer people choose to celebrate it.

Some individuals strive to preserve their families traditions and express the importance of the holiday—putting Christmas on hold until afterwards.

“I think that Thanksgiving is overlooked because of Christmas,” Elle Petz ’26 said. “People just want Christmas to come and then the new year. (It’s important to) give thanks for your home and all the food, clothes and family you have.”

At the core of the Thanksgiving/Christmas debate is the question as to when it’s appropriate to begin decorating for Christmas.

English teacher Kevin Cox shared his tradition of decorating towards the end of November and expressed his gratitude for the day of thankfulness.

“I actually enjoy Thanksgiving because the focus is more on family gathering and just enjoying time together without the pressure to buy gifts or do other things,” Cox said.

Many stores can be villainized for their eagerness to advertise Christmas-themed items. However, the owner of Taylor Reese on Kercheval, Katie Taylor, expressed the difficulty in finding items and customers interested in purchasing Thanksgiving-themed items.

“Everyone skips Thanksgiving now,” Taylor said. “The only (Thanksgiving items) that we’ll sell are napkins and things, there’s really not a lot of Thanksgiving decor.”

Despite personal preferences, store owners like Taylor experience a lack of a market for Thanksgiving decorations and an overpowering desire for Christmas products as early as October.

“I personally refuse to put Christmas items out before Halloween,” Taylor said. “(Interest) definitely (starts in) November, right after Halloween.

The production of winter clothing and festive pieces also pose a threat to the enjoyment of fall. Stocking up on clothing for the low temperatures approaching and shopping for holiday outfits begins early, according to Taylor.

“Usually with clothes, we get (new pieces) in September and October,” Taylor said. “Some things we’ll hold off until November, (and some things we’ll put) right on display.”

As Thanksgiving dwindles, those who appreciate the season of gratitude and giving back, Christmas, express its imperativeness.

“Part of the irony of Thanksgiving is that it was originally intended to be a day of reflection, and just appreciating what we have and people in our lives,” Cox said. “Because you can’t commercialize that, you can’t sell that. That’s one reason why I like Thanksgiving, but you can’t really sell a whole lot on Thanksgiving, other than a turkey, right?”