Starbucks may have started playing Christmas music at the beginning of November, but I refuse to let Thanksgiving fade into the excitement of Christmas anticipation.

Although often underrated, Thanksgiving truly is a great holiday.

A huge part of Thanksgiving is focused on food—not trees, menorahs, pumpkins or mysterious plastic eggs filled with weirdly-flavored jellybeans.

Speaking of food, I’m allowed to eat as much food as I want without feeling guilty. This year our serving table brimmed with plates of three different types of turkey, honey baked ham, homemade macaroni & cheese, green beans, Cajun spiced stuffing, buttery rolls and sweet potatoes with cinnamon sugar. Seconds and thirds are encouraged, and dessert is made obligatory by relatives trying to fatten up a “growing girl.”

On another note, I’m pretty sure I can speak for everyone when I say that Hockaday keeps girls pretty busy. Between studying for my next Chemistry test, getting enough sleep to run well in track and struggling to eat healthy amidst all the stress, I forget I even have a family.

This is why I’m thankful for Thanksgiving—the only time it’s mandatory for me to spend time with my family. They may be weird, not-so-funny and annoying most of the time, but it’s nice to spend some quality time with them every once in a while.

Plus, my mom makes the best mini pecan pies. She likes to refer to them as “pecan tassies,” which I guess is her way of adding a little southern charm to our Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving is non-discriminatory; it doesn’t judge based on race, age, or religion. A holiday begun by our ancestors, we continue to celebrate Thanksgiving as a purely American tradition.

This year, our family went to three different houses, one being our Jewish friends’ house. Without the religious undertones of other holidays, Thanksgiving is an exciting, mutual holiday to celebrate. Usually, one of us compromises our lenient religious interests to celebrate the current holiday with the other. They come over on Christmas Eve, and the next day we go with them to see a movie and grab Chinese food.

It’s nice to have a national holiday that you can celebrate with anyone.

I’m still waiting for Thanksgiving decorations, songs and movies, but until then, I’m thankful for the holiday that gives thanks for the good and brings families and friends closer together.

-Elie