Friday, November 29, 2013

THANKSGIVING

Forgive me for standing on my soapbox, but Thanksgiving is the most important holiday of the year.

Now, don’t get all weird on me - I’m not discounting the other important days. Your birthday, Christmas, Hanukkah, there are others. But, Thanksgiving is important.

Friends, Black Friday is not a holiday!

Cyber Monday is not a holiday.
 
Counting the shopping days until Christmas is not the way to celebrate the love, joy and GIVING THANKS for the season.

This year, we moved directly from school clothes and Halloween to Christmas tree lights, fuzzy blinking sweaters and fudge.

Thanksgiving is the day I look forward to all year. To give thanks for the fact that I won the life lotto. I have electricity and the wherewithal to have a computer. My little home is warm and dry and filled with everything I could ever need. I have an abundance of food to share with friends. It would be with family except they’re too far away, but my telephone works, and I have the technology to let my grandson shoot me with his nurf-ball gun. We laugh. Life is good.


There is something so terribly wrong with shopping on Thanksgiving.
For forcing the clerks to forgo turkey with grandma to be at work at some ungodly hour so Uncle George can get fifty dollars off the latest game of the year.
Really?

I remember a little adage, What if they gave a war and nobody showed up, remember that one? Well, what if they had a sale and nobody came? Take a stand - don’t go shopping until it’s time to go shopping. I promise I won’t get on the reason-for-the-season Christmas soap-box.

But, I’m here to remind us all that Thanksgiving is the day. The one day we slow down, consider the traditions of the day, and give thanks for the life we have built for ourselves.


Sometimes, buying brown ‘n serve is just as good as the time it took to make homemade, because sitting on the sofa with Aunt Harriet, this year, may be your last chance to ask her how she made cranberry sauce.

Life is precious and short and Thanksgiving is only one day. Stay home or spend it with friends, eat too much, laugh until your sides hurt, cheer you favorite football team, pass around the newest family baby, drive slow, be safe and have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

I love you all,

--- DeNise


5 comments:

Jae Awkins said...

Oh, DeNise - I am totally with you on this one - thanks for saying it so well!
Blessing to everyone on this day of thankfulness & sharing.
Hug a friend, your sweetie, your kids, your dog or cat, that old curmudgeon Uncle Fred (secretly, he'll thank you :o) - enjoy whatever makes you grateful & happy in life.
Cherish those moments, for they are gone all too quickly.
--- Jae :o)

Tam Linsey said...

I "do" Black Friday, but it isn't to get the best deals. It's to spend time with my daughter. We don't shop Thursday, or even that early Friday. But we shop deals, go to breakfast, and have a blast.

JackieIvie said...

Great BLOG. Thank you.

Lynn Lovegreen said...

Beautiful post, DeNise. And I agree. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because it's all about loved ones and food, two universals that don't need to be mixed with anything else.

LizbethSelvig said...

Just read this--late as usual--but you deserve a medal for this post. It's beautiful and couldn't be more true. Thank you, my dear friend. You got it right!
Love you,
Liz