There’s a long standing feud in this country. One that’s entwined deep within our history. We all see it. We all know it’s there. But none of us want to talk about it. The bitterness has just been festering from beneath the surface. The passive aggressive comments, the subtle stink eye, the whispers as people walk by. A wedge is growing between the people of this country, and it can’t go on. It’s tearing us apart. They say the first step to fixing a problem is admitting you have one. So here it goes: the admission. Thanksgiving and Christmas…they don’t have to be enemies any longer. They can work together. It’s not too late. We have the power to turn this into one, big happy holiday family.

Your Christmas lights are up too early! Stop playing Christmas music before Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving always gets overlooked! And on and on it goes. It seems we’ve started a war: the war between Thanksgiving and Christmas. This can’t go on. It was never meant to be this way! We must call for peace. Thanksgiving and Christmas – they never asked for this. They got along perfectly fine before their crazed fans came along. Now, it’s like the Lakers-Celtics rivalry from the 80s. It’s ugly…but it doesn’t have to be. I only ask that we strive to live in harmony.

Don’t we all just want to be happy? Don’t we all just want to enjoy our holidays? Well then why can’t we? I know this is revolutionary.  This is going to shock the world. But here, today, I’m asking…can’t Thanksgiving and Christmas just work together, like they were meant to be?

Perhaps, in this American culture of ours, Thanksgiving and Christmas are meant to compliment one another. Maybe, if we stopped looking at them as two separate, even opposing holidays, then we would get more out of each of them. They aren’t really separate, if you think about it. Rather they do naturally work together. Stop and think for a moment. If we looked at Christmas through the lens of Thanksgiving, then maybe we would stop being swept away in the greed that always comes with Christmas time in our American culture. And maybe, if we looked at Thanksgiving through the lens of Christmas, we would find ourselves overflowing with Thanks as we consider the greatest gift we have ever been given: Christ Himself.

This is my plea to celebrate. It’s my call to accept the idea of one big holiday season. It can be done. I know it can. Let’s put up Christmas lights a few days before Thanksgiving. And how about we continue our month of thankfulness through to Christmas? These holidays no longer have to stand in opposition. Instead of celebrating them individually, let us celebrate them together. Let us look upon them and smile, as Thanksgiving and Christmas hold hands and walk peacefully into the sunset.

I’ve made my defense. I only ask that you heed my call to action. The world would be a heck of a lot better place, I know that.

Or maybe I just really want to listen to my Christmas music during the week of Thanksgiving. That could be it too.

Ricardo Gomez Angel