Thanksgiving already gets overshadowed by the Christmas rush. Some people seem to think the calendar skips from October to December. For example, Starbucks broke out the red holiday coffee cups the day after Halloween.
To add insult to injury, ACU students are only given three days off from class to celebrate Thanksgiving. This is not enough time to adequately enjoy the holiday.
Thanksgiving is about more than remembering how the Pilgrims shared an autumn feast with their Native American friends. It’s about finding joy in our own lives. According to history.com, it was celebrated in the colonies and states even before President Abraham Lincoln declared it a national holiday in 1863.
While we should be thankful every day, Thanksgiving is the one day of the year set aside to celebrate the things we should be grateful for, both big and small. Everyone has something to be thankful for, but it’s common for people to take their blessings for granted.
Two main problems arise from the stunted break ACU provides. First, because the break is only a few days, some students who live out of state or even out of the country are not able to go home. Booking a flight around Thanksgiving is difficult because of its reputation as the biggest travel period of the year. Plus, the amount of time it takes to travel the long distance just to leave Texas means going home for the break almost isn’t worth it. The short amount of time simply does not provide out-of-state students with an appropriate amount of time to spend with their families.
Second, many students simply abandon their classes and leave campus the Friday before Thanksgiving break begins. For the students who are left behind, walking across campus is like living in a world after the rapture. Classroom seats are left empty and parking spaces are suddenly vacant.
It would make more sense to cancel classes for the entire week of Thanksgiving. This would provide a chance for students who live far away to actually spend time with their family. Also, it would prevent professors from lecturing to almost-empty classrooms. At this point in the semester, teachers and students alike deserve a long and restful break that will allow them to actually participate in the Thanksgiving festivities.
One option for making this extended break a possibility would be to cancel Fall Break. While many students enjoy Fall Break, it’s only one day as opposed to an entire week. Not every student can go home for Fall Break, but an extended Thanksgiving holiday might give more students time to venture home.
Thanksgiving is meant for food, family, football and tradition, but the time ACU allots for the holiday is not enough for students to partake in the festivities and truly appreciate the occasion.
