Thanksgiving is an important holiday for Americans. But between the excitement of Halloween and the celebration of winter holidays, Thanksgiving is starting to be lost. America needs to remember why we celebrate this holiday and bring the day back to the spotlight during the fall months.

Thanksgiving is a time to do just what its name says: be thankful. Americans need to use the opportunity of this holiday to sit back and reflect on their lives. No matter what situation a person may be going through, he or she always has something to be thankful for.

Every citizen in America has freedoms and opportunities that others around the world do not. This fact alone is reason enough to put emphasis back on Thanksgiving. Americans should remember the sacrifices of the Europeans who came here for better lives. Instead of food and football being the focus of the day, people should remember that the holiday is about the freedoms this country gives its citizens.

The benefits of living in America are not the only aspects of life to be thankful for on Thanksgiving. The focus of the day should not be on the food, but the ability to share the food with family and friends.

Part of the reason the country lost focus on Thanksgiving is the premature attention winter holidays receive. Costco began selling Christmas merchandise before Labor Day weekend, and stores such as Home Depot and Wal-Mart began celebrating December in September, according to a September article in the Houston Chronicle. While the retailers may need the holiday season to increase their sales, this should happen at an appropriate time. Thanksgiving deserves as much attention as advertising gives winter holidays, and the attention should not just be about how much food will be on the table.

To keep America’s priorities in focus, stores should wait to bring out winter holiday merchandise. Focusing on being thankful is difficult to do when inflatable Santa Clauses and candy canes are in every store window. Thanksgiving is still a relevant and important holiday that deserves due respect.