Thanksgiving is often overlooked as a pre-Christmas, no-present holiday, especially by the younger generations. This year, recent events have precipitated the need, now more than ever, to focus on unity across America and within households.

Between the Oct. 1 Las Vegas shooting, the northern California fires, and the Nov. 5 San Antonio shooting, many Americans have died or experienced tremendous loss. It’s time to breathe, regroup, and remember what we stand for as Americans on this Thanksgiving holiday.

According to CNN, Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving as an official holiday in 1863, making this year’s the 154th official celebration.

Americans have had 154 years to figure out the importance of Thanksgiving, but it still needs more attention, especially this year.

“A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” teaches children what the first Thanksgiving was about — bringing together different kinds of people and giving thanks for one another.

In today’s society, some people view differences as negative. This reinforces stereotypes, extremist points of view, and marginalization of groups, which in turn exacerbates tensions nation-wide. We forget that, as Charlie Brown teaches, our purpose as Americans is to be diverse yet unified. Thanksgiving is our opportunity to remember and celebrate this.

Thanksgiving should be important to American families every year, but with the recent loss of hundreds of people in American tragedies, we need to celebrate each other and our unity even more.

At this point in history, one never knows when terrorists or natural disasters will strike. Take advantage of that dinner table on Nov. 23 to look at whomever you call family and love and appreciate them.

Americans need to address the other aspect of Thanksgiving-giving thanks for diversity. Many different religions, cultures, ethnicities, and races make up our country, but all of them have this holiday in common. It’s an opportunity to focus on unity and the beauty in our differences.

Linus, a character in “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving,” said, “Thanksgiving is a very important holiday. Ours was the first country in the world to make a national holiday to give thanks.”

This Thanksgiving, let’s appreciate one another.

We are all Americans. We have that in common, and that is enough. So love and give thanks.