It still, after all these years, blows my mind, when the Christmas decorations come out at nearly the same time as the Halloween ones. And then there's the little pitiful Thanksgiving display, that gets smaller and smaller each year. Poor Thanksgiving: misunderstood and overlooked.
I love Halloween and Christmas, but I love Thanksgiving too. I am blessed because I have the ability to celebrate it with a loving family and food. I like the whole meal prep, getting together for a meal, the fall decor, the bounty, the smells, and the cozy feeling. I've participated in all kinds of Thanksgivings. Small crowds, large crowds, immediate family, immediate and extended family, family and friends, and just friends. I've eaten traditional fare, unusual fare (taco salad anyone?), and I even prepared an entire vegan feast. I've been home for the holiday and out of state. I've had Thanksgiving on vacation (my favorite away Thanksgiving was when the kids were really young and the four of us had a Hawaiian style dinner in Kona in our condo we rented and one kid was in her diaper only and the other one in his underwear. Rick and I were in bathing suits for the meal). Memories....
However, a lot of folks that I know, don't care about Thanksgiving and thinks it's too much, over-hyped, a pain, a waste, and so on.
But unlike the other two big holidays in the fall, Thanksgiving is so flexible. You can do it however you like. Sure there are customs and traditions I suppose, but you can tweak them a lot easier than you can the other ones. There's no pressure for material gifts, just the gift of your time.
Thoughts?
5 comments:
I love Thanksgiving, Kim for much of the same reasons that you wrote about. It's one holiday they haven't managed to commercialize and that no one religion has a lock on. I love the idea of thankfulness and family you're born to and/or create. Over the years we've tweaked our traditions to include eating on Friday because it's easier and barbequing the turkey, something that was unheard of when I was a child and going to my grandmothers'. I love Thanksgiving so much that I put up my own post today. Happy Thanksgiving!
Thank you Stephanie! You are right on the money with your comment! Yahoo! Happy Thanksgiving to you.
On Thanksgiving Day I think of the Native Americans. If it wasn't for them and their generosity we would not have that day to be thankful. Many blessings to all my Native friends.
Well said Gigi.
Yes, well said G! I agree with everyone here. I give thanks every day of the year...but the gathering, the harvest (of more than food) is wrapping me in warmth this year. We have both my son and daughter with us this year, for the first time in a dozen years. I feel very blessed and in the spirit.
I don't pay attention to all that hoopla out there anymore. We have our own moving and modifying traditions each year. The Secret...is really within the family.
A blessed touch-the-earth Happy Thanksgiving to All My Relations!
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