The Battle of the Best

Thanksgiving Is a Better Fall Holiday Than Halloween

Photo by Preslie Hirsch on Unsplash

Sitting on the couch, curled up under a fuzzy blanket while the faint smell of pumpkin cider drifts throughout the house, and watching the leaves turn vibrant shades of orange and red is the best time of year. Many have experienced this feeling and consider it to be one of the best ways to spend the days of fall. This year, fall began on Sept. 22 and will end on Dec. 21. Although cool weather is not typically felt until late October or early November here in Florida, Floridians are still quick to enjoy this joyous season. With fall comes two memorable holidays: Halloween and Thanksgiving. There has been much controversy about which of the two is the better fall holiday.

Some believe that Halloween is better than Thanksgiving because of the traditions associated with it. Between dressing up and trick-or-treating to pumpkin carving and haunted houses, Halloween has many unique activities many people enjoy.

“Halloween is my all-time favorite holiday because I love dressing up and having a great night with friends,” senior Sophia Wildrick said. “I usually spend weeks on planning for Halloween as well as celebrating for numerous days.”

Tallahassee has many different ways to get into the Halloween mood. For example, starting Oct. 4 and ending Nov. 1, Terror of Tallahassee is the perfect activity if one wishes to be frightened while walking through a haunted house. On the flip side, Faith Presbyterian Church holds its annual pumpkin patch with hundreds of classic but also unique pumpkins. On Oct. 11, 18 and 25, the church projects a child-friendly spooky movie on a big white screen in the pumpkin patch. Although this event is mainly geared toward children, it never hurts to feel the nostalgia again. With these fun Halloween traditions, many favor Halloween over Thanksgiving.

Although Halloween is full of fun activities, Thanksgiving is a day dedicated to family and making memories. Thanksgiving first began in 1621 with the Plymouth colonists and the Native American Wampanoag people. Together, they held a harvest feast to celebrate the coming together of one another's religion and social practices. In 1863, Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national holiday. Ever since then, on the fourth Thursday of November, Thanksgiving has been a day to celebrate all the blessings from the past year.

Between smelling the turkey roasting in the oven to having the first bite of a warm and buttery roll, Thanksgiving food goes unmatched. The Institute for Food Technologists states that the way something smells is responsible for 80% of the eating experience. Since Thanksgiving dishes’ ingredients blend so well together, it makes sense that the food tastes as good as it smells.

“One year, my husband accidentally dropped the entire turkey on the floor after carving it,” upper school science teacher Ariel Evans said. “We did the only thing we could, which was pick up as much turkey as possible before our dog, Gustaf, realized what had happened. We cleaned up most of it and left a bit for Gustaf to clean up as a treat. Every year we toss a small piece of ‘floor turkey’ out into Gustaf’s memorial garden in his honor.”

Not only does this holiday have some of the most delicious foods, but also the memories that are shared will never be forgotten.

Alongside the idea of life-long memories, Thanksgiving is a time for family and friends to come together and share their gratitude. Whether cousins from across the United States join the gathering or grandparents down the street, Thanksgiving brings families and friends back together. A common activity in many households during Thanksgiving dinner is to go around the table and share one thing you are grateful for. This activity serves as a reminder that the true meaning of this holiday is about giving thanks and gratitude.

The impact of giving thanks is not only to be reminded of what one is thankful for but has also been shown to increase mental health. A study was performed by Havard Health, where one group was asked to write down what they were thankful for in the past week, another group what had irritated them and the third group things that had affected them. The study concluded that those who had written down what they were grateful for were more optimistic and pleased about events in their life than those who focused on aggravation. Since Thanksgiving is all about expressive gratitude, the holiday is better than Halloween in that it allows individuals to reflect on their fortunes and implement positive mindsets.

Although Halloween has unique traditions that go along with it, Thanksgiving is the better fall holiday because of the delicious food, valuable family and friends time and remembering what one is thankful for.