Newsletters
News
Ciara Appelbaum
Updated
While many think Thanksgiving is the bestholiday of the year, is it really?
Advertisem*nt
From the holiday's messed-up history to the insanity and frenzied consumerism that isBlack Friday, Thanksgivingisn't always all sunshineandcasseroles.
Here are 25 reasons whyThanksgiving is our least favorite holiday.
Advertisem*nt
The history is messed up.
The first Thanksgiving took place in1637, whenMassachusetts Colony Governor John Winthrop celebratedthe safe return of colonial hunters who had just massacred 700 Pequot Indians. He called ita "Thanksgiving."
Chicken is way better than turkey.
There is a reason we never eat turkey on any other day of the year. Chicken is way better.
Advertisem*nt
There's a lot of food waste.
There is no reason to make as much food as we do on Thanksgiving. And as great as leftovers are,you can only eat so much before you have to throwthe rest away.
Black Friday is insane.
How crazy is it that Black Friday has gotten 10 people killed and 105 people injured? It's a horrifying display of greed and consumerism.
Advertisem*nt
You're forced to watch football.
Don't like football? Tough luck, you'll probably be forced to watch a game.
You get interrogated by family at the dinner table.
With the entire holiday revolving around a lengthy sit-down dinner, there's no way of getting around your family cross-examining you.
Advertisem*nt
Someone is bound to try to drag you along to a turkey trot.
Just let us eat turkey and nap in peace.
Travel is crazy.
Not only are flights super expensive around Thanksgiving, airports are jam-packed, lines are insane, and flights are frequently delayed. Driving isn't much better as highways become clogged.
Advertisem*nt
It's hard to schedule around.
Since it always falls on a Thursday, Thanksgiving can be hard to plan around, especially with more and more businessesstaying open during the holiday. And ifyou live far from your family, you'll have to choose between seeing them for Thanksgiving or Christmas,since the two holidays are so close to each other.
You eat so much you end up hating yourself.
No matter how good your intentions are, you will overeat.
Advertisem*nt
The color scheme is gross.
Brown and orange is not our favorite color combo.
You're forced to interact with family.
Thanksgivingpressures you into seeing family — even relatives you'd rather not see. Sometimes cutting ties with family members can be healthy.
Advertisem*nt
You have to pretend to enjoy the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and its second rate performers.
No one good ever performsduring Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Sure, the floats can be cool, but do you really needto watch giantfloating advertisem*nts godown the street every single year?
If you don't plan way ahead you'll be faced with insanity at the grocery store.
Thanksgiving is one of the busiest times of the year at the grocery store and everyone there is buying the same exact items.
Advertisem*nt
You either need to introduce your SO to your family for the first time, or meet theirs.
Both of you will be dealing with a lot of questions.
Or, you need to deal with heartbreak, as the holidays are peak breakup season.
It's peak breakup time. Maybe they don't want you to meet their family, maybe they don't want to have to buy you a gift, or maybe the stresses surrounding the holiday just got to be too much. Regardless of the reason, prepare yourself for potential heartbreak.
Advertisem*nt
It's a tough time for vegans and vegetarians.
Traditional Thanksgiving food leaves few options for vegetarians, and practically nonefor vegans. If your dietary restrictionsdon't usually annoy people, they will on Thanksgiving.
You need to deal with mound of dirty dishes.
Nothing is worse than cleaning dirty dishes, and Thanksgiving takesthe annoying chore to new heights. Whether you hosted the shindigor are just a guest, it's nearly impossible to avoid getting your hands dirty in a clogged sink.
Advertisem*nt
Someone always makes a Jell-O Salad.
With so manydelicious Thanksgiving desserts out there, why would you make a Jell-O salad? It seems like a terribly antiquated dish, and has no business calling itself a salad.
Thanksgiving desserts are the worst.
Let's be real, no one likespecan pie. Even worse, pecan pie has the most calories, with almost 500 per slice.
Advertisem*nt
The weather is suddenly freezing.
By the time Thanksgiving rolls around, you can forget about warm weather.
There's always someone who inappropriately dresses as a Native American.
Dressing up as a Native American is cultural appropriation. And don't even think about dressing up as a Native American and pilgrim duo after all the violence pilgrims wrought upon Native Americans.
Advertisem*nt
Then there's the irony of giving thanks for what you already have while planning Black Friday shopping.
How are yousupposed to be thankful for what you have when you'replanning all the new stuff you want to buy?
You'll awkwardly run into people from high school that you'd rather never see again.
Thanksgiving means being back in your hometown, which means awkwardly running into people from high school.
Advertisem*nt
It marks the start of the holiday season.
Between family conflicts, financial woes, holiday breakups, and high expectations,not everyone loves the holidays.
Visit INSIDER's homepage for more.
Follow INSIDER on Facebook.
Read next
Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read preview
Thanks for signing up!
Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go.
Advertisem*nt