Thanksgiving is sure to be underwhelming again this year, but is that really Thanksgiving’s fault? Thanksgiving has become the victim of a systemic devaluing of holidays running rampant in our country, especially here at GW.

First of all, Thanksgiving falls too close to the end of the semester, and all the weight and anxieties and pressures of finals permeate throughout the time off for a traditional feast. Can you really enjoy that overcooked turkey when you have an organic chemistry final coming up and you know the likelihood of passing doesn't surpass the likelihood of your uncle chewing with his mouth closed?

Speaking of your bovine uncle, is there anyone you’re actually that excited to see? Friends are nice, but you have friends here. You’re going home for family, and, baring a full scale riot in the kitchen over who forgot the pumpkin pie, whatever conversation you manage will surely fall victim to a self-induced food coma. You get to see your family again? More like: you get to have the same conversations with the same people for (yet another) year. 'How’s school going? Are you doing well? What’s your major? What classes are you taking?' It’s going to be a resounding get-to-know-you conference of family members who all have only slightly differing opinions.

Finally, all the anticipation falls before and after Thanksgiving. Halloween really holds the lustrous prize of the stereotypical fall holiday. And what comes after Thanksgiving, none other than the behemoth, the myth, the miracle- Christmas. Jesus Christ, Christmas is so overwhelming it has gained the capacity to physically consume other holidays. And which holiday was first to be mercilessly eaten by Christmas’s monster? That’s right: Thanksgiving was plucked, beheaded, and roasted for an extra twenty minutes till it was dry, and then ravaged by Christmas who was tired of talking to its relatives and a little tipsy from the beer (which Christmas is now perceived as old enough to handle).

So, is anyone super excited for Thanksgiving? No, nobody is excited. At all. It’s going to be fine, acceptable, a nice little break. But stop kidding yourself. Get ready to be underwhelmed.