Skipping Over Thanksgiving

I was with my son in Target the morning of Halloween, getting last minute candy, because the Trick or Treat candy was left out on the table for two days, which turned out to be a bad idea. Nothing more needs to be said about that! We both came up just short of panic, as workers were busy having already replaced orange and black, with red and white decorated shelves in preparation for Christmas.

Christmas! It was October 31st! Where are the paper turkeys? The cutouts of pilgrims, and native Americans? The colored corn, and pumpkins? Nowhere, that’s where! We are on our own to squeeze this holiday in before we hit December. It’s up to us to fire up some enthusiasm for the smell of roasting turkey, pumpkin pies baking, and grandma’s recipe for jello salad all on our own. Well, don’t you worry. We’ll make it happen!

I am not a fan of rushing holidays, which is exactly what has happened! It happens pretty much every year. Retailers are in a rush to set up displays for Christmas, and who can blame them. It’s a big job, and having once been in retail ourselves, that fourth quarter is a make or break for most businesses, particularly December.

I know that Thanksgiving is an American holiday, and perhaps the rest of the world doesn’t have anything on the calendar between October 31st and December 25th, but we do! We are not skipping it! You don’t see grocery stores just giving it a sideways glance in favor of the most popular holiday of the year. After all, Thanksgiving is the “food” holiday….I mean the “giving thanks” holiday. Just seems like a food holiday.

In spite of the fact that Halloween was only a few days ago, and Thanksgiving is up next, I found my spirit lifted knowing that Christmas was coming. The anticipation of holiday lights, and Christmas music somehow made me happy. Just seeing those decorations on display raised a gray, gauzy curtain that has fallen over 2020, even if their appearance is a month early. There’s something about Christmas that brings a smile to our faces, a twinkle to our eyes. Our hearts seem just a little bit lighter. That holiday, more than any other, offers hope for something better.

I believe we need a little bit of Christmas, just a little bit longer this year. So, I won’t complain about stores skipping over Thanksgiving to make way for Christmas. Not this year. But, I won’t skip on giving thanks for my family, my friends, my blessings, and my challenges. Yes, challenges, because it is in our challenges that we rise to be the best that we can be.

History has presented many difficult years. 2020 will take its place among them, but it’s only a moment in time. Take a breath, reflect, and may you find you have many things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving.