NJ families may skip Thanksgiving this year for upsetting reason

Thanksgiving is a time for friends and family to gather around the dinner table and be thankful for everything we have. It is, at least, until something gets in the way of having a good time.

Surveys asking what the number one concern is heading into the holidays is common, especially this time of year. For as excited as we get, we also have worries that might make us think that perhaps it's better we either scale back or skip the holiday gatherings altogether.

In 2023, for example, the top reason some families were stressing over that Thanksgiving gathering was money. And considering there were fears of a recession on the horizon, combined with high inflation, this was a legitimate concern.

In 2024, inflation is still on the high side, though it has been easing. Rates have also been starting to trickle down for things like cars and mortgages, which points to signs that things are improving.

However, they're not improving fast enough, and many Americans are still feeling the pinch of higher expenses on all fronts. How people feel financially, along with thoughts on the economy, is still painfully real for most families.

So it would only be logical to think that inflation and the economy would be the top reason some might want to pass on Thanksgiving in 2024. But surprisingly, that's not it at all.

Instead, it all has to do with the division this country has been seeing for way too long now. And thanks to the 2024 November elections, politics has become the top reason some families want to skip Thanksgiving gatherings with family altogether.

In fact, a national survey found that nearly 25% of Americans want to skip gathering around the Thanksgiving table because of how stressed and frustrated they are with the political climate. That, and the fear of heated arguments coming up as a result (read more from wowt.com here).

It's hard to believe the political division has hit the Thanksgiving table, but here we are. And even before the holiday arrives, the fact that this came up as a top concern to the point some are considering canceling Thanksgiving is very upsetting.

Look, we're all going to have that weird uncle at the table who's going to talk nonsense. Or that stubborn aunt who cannot get out of her own way. But you what? That's what families are. And politics occasionally coming up is nothing new.

But the fact that it's gotten to the point of pure hatred and fear is just unacceptable. I can't speak for what families do across America, but I can put out an ask for my fellow New Jerseyans to try and avoid that political division.

Not just Thanksgiving, but altogether. No matter who you voted for, the election is now past us, and that division should be too. Please, let's stop tearing each other apart and finally move on from this hostile political climate, especially during the holidays.

The above post reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 Sunday morning host & content contributor Mike Brant. Any opinions expressed are his own.