Let me ask you; what is the worst role to have thrust upon you in a family? The least coveted part to play? Most would say that this is probably the middle child. Coming from a middle child such as myself, it is not a fun part to play. The oldest child is seen as a precious role to play. They are so free and it seems as if in being the oldest they have what ultimately makes them happy, as if being born first was their ultimate goal in life. This is much like Halloween. Halloween is regarded by a vast majority of people as the greatest holiday known to man. When a parent releases a child to go trick-or-treating, they are free, and they feel ultimately happy. As for the youngest child, this is a very different role to play. The youngest is often pitied for being the youngest. The oldest and middle children often are older, and given more privileges, so the youngest is therefore treated better than the other children (nine times out of ten when parents say they treat their children equally they are lying). Christmas is viewed similarly in this regard. People automatically view Christmas as being the best holiday, just as the youngest child is automatically viewed with sympathy. It also happens to be the last holiday of the year, just as the youngest child is the last child.

But alas, the middle child is in the gray area. Not much is ever expected of them, as all the expectations fall to the oldest child. They do not earn special treatment, either, because all that extra attention goes to the youngest child. If Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas were siblings, Thanksgiving would be the middle child. It is November fourth at the time of this article being written, and instead of seeing Thanksgiving-related merchandise being sold in stores, such as turkey tablecloths and such, stores are overflowing with Christmas trees and decorative ornaments. Some stores have even gone so far as to start Christmas sales. Christmas commercials are infecting television like a virus and spreading like wildfire.

It’s as if people jump over Thanksgiving and go straight to Christmas. Why they do is far beyond me. Maybe it’s because they give and get gifts? I cannot be certain, but it is the principle of the situation that matters. I love Christmas just as much as the next guy. As a matter of fact, some of my fondest memories come from sitting around a Christmas tree, but Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. It is the only holiday dedicated to coming together with loved ones and being thankful to be with one another and everything else that I have not directly mentioned, and you also get to eat tremendous amounts of food. Who doesn’t love food? But this is the world we live in, nearly two months before Christmas gets here, people are already counting down the days. Stores are beginning sales and preparing for black Friday. People are watching A Christmas Story and other holiday classics. Children are starting Christmas wishlists, and in a couple months’ time, while the oldest and youngest siblings are unwrapping every present they asked for, the middle children all over the world will frown when they find the boxes under the tree with their names on them contain only socks.