It's my favorite time of year again. Christmas Carols are being sung, and people are rushing to check everyone off their Christmas lists. The only difference this year is that it seems to have come a bit earlier than normal. Finals are still weeks away, yet the Christmas buzz is all around. A local radio station plays Christmas music 24-hours a day.

It even looks as though this year's wishes for a White Christmas are being answered early. While walking around campus, one can see freshly built snowmen adorning the property. I even heard a group of girls strolling down the sidewalk belting out the words to "Let it Snow."

My question is, what happened to Thanksgiving? Amidst all the Holiday Cheer, we seem to have left out an important celebration. Thanksgiving is a time to be with friends and family and do just what its name suggests: give thanks for what we have. The important thing is to not focus on the commercialism of Christmas, but to remember the spirit of the first Thanksgiving. So many traditions are associated with this holiday, yet this year, they appear to have been forgotten already.

Every year at my house, the heavenly scents of my mom's home-cooked food waft through the air as the family watches the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in the living room. The banter is often interrupted as Mom asks someone to make yet another trip to the grocery store for that necessary ingredient she inevitably forgot.

Carving the turkey is just the beginning. As much as we all hate to admit it, Thanksgiving wouldn't be Thanksgiving without its corny traditions as well. Though the children of my family always complained about having to express what we were thankful for, our holiday wouldn't be complete without Dad passing around the piece of bread, requesting that everyone break off a chunk and give thanks for some aspect of our life.

Another Thanksgiving tradition is decorating for Christmas. The tree goes up, lights garnish the shrubbery outside, and various other Christmas paraphernalia decorate the house.

This is when the real countdown can begin. What better way to kick off the holiday season than with the biggest shopping day of the year? Now is the time to visit Santa at the mall, send out your holiday greetings, kiss under the mistletoe and sip hot chocolate by the fire.

Remember this before you get swept up in the holidays and take out your copy of "It's a Wonderful Life," or pop your N'Sync Christmas album into your stereo. Take the holidays one at a time, and enjoy them all.

Be grateful when Dad makes you take time to think about what you appreciative. It just might help keep you grounded enough to celebrate the season we're in.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving and a wonderful break.

• Christmas already?