Let's face it, Thanksgiving is an underappreciated holiday.

Every year, stores tear down Halloween decorations and replace them with garland, snow and plastic Santas. Blinking turkey string lights and oversized singing pilgrims are nowhere to be seen. The commercialized-world skips this thankful holiday and heads straight to the gaudy holiday displays and overplayed Christmas soundtracks. Let me count the ways in which the tradition of Thanksgiving needs more loving.

First off, it's non-denominational. At Christmas, manger scenes, pageants and dozens of songs mull over the birth of Christ. Even Hanukkah celebrates a miracle that happened in a Jerusalem Temple. The Christmas tree in the lobby of my public high school created controversy, but I've never heard anyone make a fit over turkey decorations hanging in the windows.

The decision over white or dark meat seems to be everyone's biggest concern on Thanksgiving Day. Although the original holiday was celebrated in honor of religious freedom and thanking God, now that idea has almost been completely eliminated from the Thanksgiving agenda. The lack of religious uneasiness alone is something to be thankful for. Thanksgiving offers an official time to reflect on family, friends and kindness that you have experienced over the past year, without isolating specific religions.

Religion aside, there's also the absence of commercialization.

The extent of Thanksgiving decorations consists of kindergarten turkey hands and the sparse cornucopia display. It's hard to find a company that spends an excessive amount of money on Thanksgiving advertising and I've yet to see a man dressed up as a giant turkey while screaming at children to get their pictures taken with him.

The lack of commercialization also means there are no items for companies to try to sell us. It is a rare American holiday, no gift-giving or unnecessary material objects.

Thanksgiving marks the last day of peace before the mall insanity and wallet emptying begins. During Thanksgiving, it's nice to see your family because you want to enjoy their company, instead of focusing on what's hiding behind that reindeer-wrapped package.

The break is also a time to reflect on what we are most thankful for: no classes or professors for five days.

As you head home for some quality time with your family, it's nice to pretend you're completely done with the semester and able to forget about the finals that patiently await your return. Friends you haven't seen since you've lounged on the beach months earlier are all home and eager to hear about your crazy nights at Sigma Chi.

It's a daylong eating fest complete with a smorgasbord of food. Dieting is just not acceptable at Thanksgiving. It doesn't matter whether you're on a low-carb diet or Jenny Craig. Thanksgiving is a day to splurge. Turkey, stuffing, a plethora of pies, gravy boats and thirteen different casseroles all contribute to this day of overeating.

When the food is all gone, and after the long day of football and Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade-watching, intense fighting over the wishbone, the tryptophan from the turkey starts settling in, another Thanksgiving has come to an end. And as soon as grandma puts away the leftovers, it is off to the mall to prepare for the next holiday.