I can only speak from personal experience and not from a national, general perspective. When I was a kid, Thanksgiving was a big deal because all our families lived pretty far apart and it was one of the few times we gathered together in celebration of one another. We had games, a big meal, and talked through the evening. It was something that I definitely looked forward to. As I neared high school age, however, it lost its appeal. Not because I was sick of the meal itself, but because members of my family started feuds and ceased speaking. The number of seats at the dinner table dwindled and it just became a reminder of how divided we were. Not the type of thing I want to think about, really.
This year, I am looking forward to Thanksgiving. My family is going to attend dinner with my Significant Other’s family (and friends) and it will be a warm and fuzzy occasion instead of a depressing one. It might even be the best I have ever had.
So I think holidays in general are contingent upon the outside factors rather than the event itself. Easter is always fun when my cousins and brothers still hide eggs even though they are all college students now. Christmas, a holiday most people relish, was painful last year when my father was in hospital. For me, at least, it’s never the day itself (or all the traditions that go with it), but everything else that make it something to look forward to or wish it would just pass quietly.