I spent twenty-two years celebrating Thanksgiving in Japan. The first few years were done without any Turkey or celebration. It was just another day.
Interestingly, even though Thanksgiving is an American holiday, I could buy a Turkey at the local Kunokuni-ya shop in my area.
I remember the year I bought my first Turkey in Japan. Finding the turkey was only step one. I lived in an apartment. There were no ovens like we have in apartments or homes in the United States. I found out that the microwaves sold in Japan also had ovens the Japanese used for baking cookies, cakes, and other things. The same thing was probably available in the United States, but it was the greatest innovation ever when I discovered they existed.
My goal was to find the biggest microwave oven that would fit the largest turkey I could find. I succeeded on both fronts and successfully cooked my first turkey in a small Panasonic microwave oven combination. I even had cranberry sauce, gravy, and stuffing. I could find all the essential elements, including frozen cranberries.
I became famous with my friends for my Thanksgiving Turkey. While none of my friends truly understood why Americans celebrated Thanksgiving, they loved my Thanksgiving Turkey.
Later, after I owned my first home in Japan, the microwave oven retired, and I graduated to barbecue turkey on Thanksgiving, or to this day, “chicken,” as my Japanese mother calls it.
These pictures are from the last Thanksgiving.
As you can see, as my Japanese family started to embrace the annual tradition, the menu expanded to fried squid, wonderful green Japanese salad, and Pizza Hut for the vegetarians in the family.
The funny thing about celebrating Thanksgiving in Japan was that I never really enjoyed Thanksgiving while living in the United States. I was never a big Turkey fan, and when I was growing up, everything was closed, so it was a dull day.
I grew to love the tradition and still do today. After I got serious about celebrating Thanksgiving in Japan, I only missed the holiday once, and that was when I was in the holiday pre-appendix surgery. That is an entirely different story where. My mom had to celebrate Thanksgiving with a Northwest Airlines Turkey Thanksgiving Day. She flew to Japan to care for me while meeting my future wife for the first time.
Is Being Thankful More Important Than New Year’s Resolutions?
As you gather around the table this Thanksgiving, take a moment to reflect on what the day truly represents. Beyond the turkey, football, and pumpkin pie, Thanksgiving celebrates gratitude, connection, and giving back.
It’s a reminder to pause and recognize the blessings we often overlook in the busyness of life. Whether it’s the roof over our heads, the meals we share, or the people who stand by us through thick and thin, gratitude shifts our focus from what we lack to the abundance we already have.
Thanksgiving is more important than New Year’s.
Thanksgiving often holds greater importance than New Year’s because it focuses on gratitude and connection in the present moment rather than resolutions or reflections tied to the future.
It places more importance on Gratitude over Goals.
Thanksgiving is a time to be grateful and appreciate what you already have. It is time to give thanks for friends, family, health, and your current successes. It is about celebrating the present. So many of us are stuck worrying about the future or the past; it is a relief to have a day where we focus on today.
On the other hand, New Year’s shifts focus to what is missing and what needs improvement. It is a day when many of us set unattainable goals. I have written about this in previous newsletters, focusing on Systems vs. Goals, and we should not be setting goals just once a year. We should implement or work towards small and incremental improvements throughout the year.
Thanksgiving has a stronger Focus on Giving Back, whereas New Year’s is often about ourselves.
Thanksgiving encourages generosity, family, and coming together to celebrate. Many people, including my family, donate time and meals to those in need over Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is a time to be thankful and help others.
New Year’s is more symbolic of fresh starts. It is a holiday where we tend to focus more on ourselves and our individual goals. This holiday is inward-focused, centering on individual resolutions rather than collective well-being.
Thanksgiving is full of Timeless Values. Thanksgiving reminds us of values that never go out of style—gratitude, humility, and mindfulness. It’s a chance to reflect on blessings rather than dwell on regrets or anxieties about the future.
What better day to reinforce the values that are important to you to your friends and family? What better day to demonstrate these values to your children?
Thanksgiving wins when it comes to Connection and Togetherness.
Thanksgiving is built around shared meals and traditions surrounded by friends, loved ones, and the people we trust. It is one moment in the year when we slow down and look at the present moment to celebrate the bonds with those we care about. Gathering to give thanks fosters unity and belonging; my family always goes around the table to verbally articulate what they are thankful for.
New Year is often celebrated with parties and a countdown. Hell, New Year’s celebration occurs way after my regular bedtime. If I stay up too late to celebrate New Year, it kicks off the new year with less productivity because I am tired the next day and want to sleep in! I cannot think of a worse way to start the new year.
Thanksgiving emphasizes relationships and human connection over spectacle or celebration.
It is a day when we are asked to slow down and live in the moment.
It’s a chance to reconnect with our roots, values, and people. While New Year’s might look forward, Thanksgiving anchors us to what truly matters now.
The Takeaway
Thanksgiving is more than a holiday.
It is a reminder to live for the moment and to appreciate the here and now.
I talk about the importance of systems versus goals all the time. Goals are important, but the processes and systems we implement to obtain our goals and become successful are more important.
Before we set goals for the future, it is essential to be grateful and reflect on how far we have come.
It is important to be grateful.
It is important to celebrate the connections we have in our lives. So many trusted people in our lives help us become the best versions of ourselves.
This Thanksgiving, focus on what truly matters:
- Give thanks for the people and experiences that have shaped your life and helped you become who you are today.
- Reconnect with loved ones and the people who find joy in your successes in life.
- Celebrate the people who challenge you to become the best version of yourself.
- Be thankful for all the strength and courage you had during the year to overcome the obstacles and roadblocks you faced. Just think about all the experience you have gained throughout the year on your journey towards success.
- Give back to your community and spread kindness to those who struggle to find the same level of gratitude that you have on this special day.
Let’s carry the spirit of Thanksgiving into the New Year—starting with gratitude and building a future from a place of abundance and appreciation.
Wishing you a joyful and meaningful Thanksgiving,
The Day Warrior
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