This may come off as a bit preachy, if you will, and I may have to step up on a soap box for a minute but hear me out. Does anyone even remember that last Thursday in November when people used to get together with their families around a table and eat turkey? It used to be a pretty important holiday on the calendar. I think it still is on the calender, but it would seem as though almost everyone has forgotten it exists. Allow me to remind you all of what that last Thursday in November used to be like.
My favorite three months out of the whole year are October, November and December. Why you may ask? For the simple fact that these are the months when the weather starts changing and getting a chill in the air (ideally). It's in these three months when the leave start changing from green to deep, golden orange and yellow and crimson. These are the three months, more specifically in November and December, when you get together with your family. There is a certain cheer in the air almost and people seem to be more pleasant to one another. Wrap all of these factors into one and add the fact that Thanksgiving and Christmas come around once a year during this time, and really you have to ask who wouldn't love this time of year?
Now that being said, it has occurred to me recently that not everyone seems to feel that way about the end of the year. Holidays can sometimes be more sad for people than happy. But for those of us who did used to enjoy Thanksgiving, tell me why it is that we seem to be forgetting it now?
I remember growing up helping my parents put up decorations for Halloween, then Thanksgiving, THEN Christmas. That was always the order in which we would put the decorations up each month. There was no skipping Thanksgiving because Thanksgiving is important. Or at least it used to be. Now it seems that the calendar has been changed and November has been completely forgotten. Right after Halloween stores are putting out Christmas decorations. Whatever happened to blow up turkeys and cardboard cut outs of Indians?
Even when I was in elementary school I can remember coloring pictures of Indians and pilgrims sharing corn stalks over a feast while my teacher would explain to us the importance of Thanksgiving. "The holiday represents the peace between the English settlers and the Native Americans and we should remember this day and give thanks". Did history change all of a sudden or do we still teach young children in school about the importance of Thanksgiving today? Or do we just scrap the whole coloring of pilgrims and Indians to let them color Christmas trees?
Do we explain to them that Thanksgiving is a time to reflect and be thankful of what you have? Do they know that businesses used to be closed on Thanksgiving? Now shops are opening up at 6 P.M. on Thanksgiving night for Black Friday shoppers. 6 P.M.?! Isn't that when most people are sitting down with their families in their comfortable cloths to eat a delicious meal that their moms and grandmas have made or that they all made together? Why in the world would someone think it's okay to open a store on Thanksgiving night and take people away from their families just so someone can get trampled to death over a TV. Come on people.
Do what you will and say what you will, but in my opinion, if we would put some more emphasis on a holiday that used to bring people together in love and happiness, maybe we wouldn't be in such a mess with our society. Totally my opinion but I don't think it's too far from the truth of the matter.
