Thanksgiving is a time for giving thanks and spending time with family. This is what most people say when you ask them what Thanksgiving is about. I disagree. If Thanksgiving was a time for giving thanks then we would all stay at home with our families and enjoy what we have. Instead we trudge out of our homes into the crisp November air, get in our cars and drive for miles, just to sit at someone else’s table, pretending there is enough room, eating their food, and pretending to like it. We then drone on and on about nothing and pretend we’re better than we really are. Why? Is it for self-esteem? Is it some weird passive aggressive way of giving thanks? No, its competition. Competition is what drives this holiday. It’s what makes us climb out of bed and pretend to be better than we are in front of the people we care most about. We cook more and better than usual to impress our families. Many families even compete against themselves in sports like football on this day. Do you still think this day is all about thanks? The competition behind this holiday is inborn. It’s called “thanks giving,” and in our society, we praise people because they give to others, and when we give someone something, we berate them if they don’t say “thanks.” Who wouldn’t compete to be the best at thanks giving on Thanksgiving when we praise people for thanking and giving? Surprising, isn’t it? Looking back on your Thanksgiving Day festivities and realizing it’s always been about competition. If you don’t remember it like that then, fine. You can choose to believe me or not, but if you don’t, I want you to do something. Look around this Thanksgiving, watch the people around you, and see if you don’t smell even a hint of competition in your Thanksgiving Day turkey.