In America, the fourth Thursday in the month of November has been designated as a national holiday called Thanksgiving. As the name suggests, this holiday is supposed to be a day that people use to remember all that they are thankful for. It’s celebrated in various ways, and most schools even offer a small break from school for it. For as long as I can remember, Thanksgiving has been a day when my family gathers to devour copious amounts of food, argue passionately, and be with each other. While I used to dislike this holiday, I’ve found myself feeling more and more thankful for it as the years go by.  

The food that my family has at Thanksgiving is fairly standard. Turkey is always the main dish; family members bring various sides and desserts. Mac and cheese, collard greens, stuffing, and yeast rolls are staples for sides every year, and cheesecake and banana pudding are always included in our array of desserts. Due to a lack of communication, we almost always double up on at least one thing, but no one gets extremely upset about it. There is always much more food than anyone can eat, and everyone takes home a large plate of leftovers to store in their fridge and eat in the upcoming week or so.  

However, the most significant conflicts at Thanksgiving do not arise from arguments about who brings what dish. They are mainly due to conflicts over politics, sports, ideas, and opinions about the current state of the US. Or, who is the best football player? These discussions get passionate and can quickly devolve into personal attacks and petty jabs. These arguments spoil the moods of everyone nearby but always die down before the day is over.  

One of the reasons that arguments among my family never last long is because, at the end of the day, we all enjoy being unified more than being divided. We have all been coming together for this holiday for years, and we embrace all the initial awkwardness and high-stress situations, knowing that at the end of the day, we will only remember the happy moments.  

Although Thanksgiving with my family isn’t anything special and isn’t the smoothest event, I love it. I love the time spent preparing the food. I even love those moments when things get tense, and everyone sits around with bated breath to see the outcome. I love coming together with the people I have known my whole life. The imperfections are what make this time perfect, and they make me remember to stay thankful for every single Thanksgiving that I get to celebrate.