Thanksgiving really gets the shaft.
Christmas has gotten sneaky and got pretty good at cutting ahead in line. Black Friday has started pushing it out the door early, having decided half of Thanksgiving was enough before we all get to the more important matters of commerce.
There’s no real build up of any sort and as soon as the dishes are done, it’s off to Walmart to kick off a full month of red-nosed, holly jolly, jingle bell rocking.
We know Thanksgiving would never complain. It’s not in its nature.
It’s a humble, appreciative holiday and it’s happy for whatever time folks might spend together as families and in considering their many blessings.
It’s beyond time we stand up for Thanksgiving.
It’s perhaps the most important holiday on the calendar and it might be more important now than ever before.
The feast and the football are simply bonuses. I’m speaking of its call to action.
It’s a holiday that demands we fall into proper perspective, and it seems that as a whole, that perspective has been sorely lacking.
It’s a day to set aside the chase for more and recognize that we have more than enough. In a society that encourages “me, me, me,” it’s a day that reminds our most important assets are others.
We spend most other days with attention divided a dozen ways. We spend Thanksgiving with attention focused on loved ones.
It’s a day that generates compassion. When it becomes clear we have more than enough, it’s easier to see those who have less than we do.
Let’s give Thanksgiving a proper buildup. Let’s start now.
Spend a few minutes each day examining an aspect of life and the reasons you have for thanks. Make it a habit and keep it going after the leftovers are gone.
No, it’s not the sexiest holiday on the calendar.
We don’t shoot off fireworks. We don’t light up neighborhoods for Thanksgiving. There aren’t even any great mattress sales. Aside from Natalie Merchant’s “Kind and Generous,” there aren’t many songs we could consider Thanksgiving carols.
But it’s the day that offers the biggest gifts.
Peace, serenity, generosity and kindness all flourish from the soil of thankfulness.
Take pause before digging through the 92-pound newspaper. There isn’t a single thing in Best Buy more valuable a sense of serenity.
In failing to give Thanksgiving its due, what we’re really doing is giving ourselves the shaft.
