Give Thanksgiving a Chance

There's something really wrong with America.  A lot is wrong, actually, but one thing in particular tends to irk me more and more each year.

Thanksgiving is disappearing.

For at least a month now, I've been driving around seeing Christmas decorations on houses and in shopping centers.  I hear Christmas music when I'm flipping through radio stations.  Christmas is my favorite holiday and time of year, but all of this just makes me sick.

Don't get me wrong, I have already done some present buying.  But you won't see those gifts under a tree until November 29.  Because that's when the Christmas seasons starts.  

Thanksgiving is so important.  It's a time for family to come together and be thankful.  It's something that should be done all the time, but this is a specific time set aside for us to make sure it happens.  Our lives get crazy and we get stressed and hate the world sometimes - it is important to stop and remember, for at least this one day, that you are blessed.  For so many reasons.

Instead, people are going to go shopping.  Or work.  Or both.  That's just insane to me.  First of all, I understand Black Friday.  Been there, done that.  It's fun.  But it's something you do ON FRIDAY. BLACK FRIDAY. Unless all of my teachers have been wrong, the next day starts at 12:00 midnight.  Not 6:00 PM on the current day.   I mean really? Black Friday Doorbusters at 5 PM on Thanksgiving?  I would at least spend time with my family before waiting in line for the midnight doorbusters - and any earlier than that is just out of the question.  If you partake in that, you are an enabler.

It makes me sick that people see Thanksgiving as an amazing shopping opportunity.  It's SO much more than that, and actually not that at all - Black FRIDAY is an amazing shopping opportunity.  I feel so incredibly bad for the people who are forced to work (or lose their job) on Thanksgiving Day because their psycho boss thinks it's a good idea for their non-essential business to be open.

Clay and I decided to spend Thanksgiving with my family this year (we usually spend it with his, Christmas with mine, we switched).  The family plans fell through and we still don't know what we will be doing, but you can be damn sure that even if I just sit on my couch, I will be counting my blessings.  I will not be Christmas decorating.  I will not be shopping.  I will be basking in the blessing of the life that I have been given.

If you have decorated and are already listening to Christmas music, I love you, but I'm judging you.  Fight the urge - if I can do it, I promise that you can, too.  I hate that my future children will grow up getting the idea (from others) that Thanksgiving is so fun because it's the day we go shopping.  Or that it's the holiday that means Christmas is coming.

Give Thanksgiving a chance.

Happy Thanksgiving,

E


Update: We finally have Thanksgiving plans!