Thanksgiving doesn’t get its due anymore. While I used to complain a little about the Christmas products and music going up in the stores before Thanksgiving came, this year I saw them the day before Halloween in a few places! But that’s another story (to quote an old history professor of mine).
Thanksgiving, in my mind, has long been a holiday about relaxation and taking a step back to gather the bigger picture about things. I will fully acknowledge that the rest often doesn’t come until after the turkey is on the grill and most of the side dishes are prepared, but the fact remains that Thanksgiving is about having a big meal with your family, reflecting upon the things you have been blessed with, acknowledging another year of those blessings, and lots of pumpkin pie.
The day after comes, and these days sometimes even the day of, and there is a HUGE rush to get shopping done, Christmas decorations up, crank up the Yule tide, and life becomes one huge stressful situation. Any remnant of thankfulness and rest seems to go out the door in the process. I don’t think we should be living our lives in such a manner! The spirit of thankfulness that comes with Thanksgiving should linger all year long, if you ask me.
Please don’t think I’m a Scrooge. I’m a HUGE Christmas fan. I’m a firm believer that Christmas lights are like Jell-O, there’s always room for more. I love the Season of Advent and all the festivities that come with celebrating the birth of Christ. I spend the entire month of December with Christmas CDs and Soma.FM’s Christmas Lounge (trust me, you’ll LOVE it). I even have a Santa hat available to wear to celebrate the season.
But please, give Thanksgiving its due. Take at least an extra day to let the warmth and memory of thanks linger in your home. I’ll admit the 4 day weekend (for some folks) does provide a good opportunity to get some decorations up, but save some of them for the a little later. Don’t start your Christmas music until December 1st. Don’t get caught up in all the mayhem and runaround and have an extra day or two to relax. You’ll thank me for it later.