As the calendar page turns to December, one thing fills almost everyone’s minds; Christmas is coming! It’s an exciting, busy, and sometimes stressful time. Every year, people all over the world look forward to celebrating. A break from work and school, time with family and friends, and exchanging gifts are some of the reasons people love the holiday so much. However, in all the craze and hullabaloo we forget something; we just celebrated the best holiday of the year, Thanksgiving.

I know most people are against me on this, but there are some concrete reasons as to why Thanksgiving is superior. First of all, anyone can celebrate Thanksgiving. It isn’t reserved for a religion, like Christmas is. (Yes, many people who are not religious celebrate Christmas, but they’re missing a part of the holiday.) I know that Thanksgiving is only an official holiday in a handful of countries, but that doesn’t have to stop people from giving thanks for what they have. It’s promoting a positive message; be thankful for everything you have. That can an important reminder for everyone.

In terms of money, Thanksgiving has a big leg up on Christmas. The cost of presents adds up fast, especially for us high school students. While Christmas is fun, shopping for presents and trying to stay in a budget can just be stressful. Thanksgiving, on the other hand, is much easier on your wallet. Typically, you only spend a couple bucks when you make a side dish to bring to the table. At the worst, you buy the turkey, which is still going to be a lot less expensive than buying presents for your family and friends.

Thanksgiving also has one of the best traditions out of any holiday: football. Whether it’s slinging the pigskin in the yard with family or watching one of the three NFL games on TV throughout the day, football has as much of a tie to Thanksgiving as mashed potatoes and gravy. Christmas doesn’t even come close to Thanksgiving here. Sure they have a couple NBA games on, but that doesn’t match the history and importance of a tradition that’s over eighty years old. Thanksgiving for many is unimaginable without the incorporation of football. What other holiday has a sport connected to it with this level of meaning?

The biggest reason why Thanksgiving is the best holiday is the food. Turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, stuffing, cranberries, green beans, pumpkin pie, and so much more. What other holiday is celebrated where food is the utmost important element of the celebration? There is no other day of the year where caloric intake is embraced and eating is the main event of the day. But even after the day ends, Thanksgiving leftovers take over our lunches for the next week. It’s rare to have such delicious leftovers, and especially at these quantities. Sure similar food can be consumed at Christmas, but having the food be the main component of the holiday makes it all the more special at Thanksgiving.

So, you don’t get any gifts on the fourth Thursday of November, but how much does that really matter? I’m guessing you probably can’t even remember most of what you got for Christmas last year. Memories are what last the longest anyway, and Thanksgiving certainly isn’t short on those.