Thanksgiving First Question #6

Yesterday, I had the blessed fortune to come across a particular movement of sorts going on in the blogosphere about the holidays.  I was first introduced to the concept of Thanksgiving First by Joe of Cranky Old Man.  If you haven't popped on over to his blog from my sidebar, do it.  Funny (and very insightful) stuff!  As a bonus, I discovered a delightful NEW (to me) blogger, Jim as in THE Suldog Jim.  You must also check him out, post haste.  Or haste directly over there AFTER you post your link for this question...you get the idea.

If you are just joining my blog posts, we are on the homestretch of a contest give-away.  For a trip.  You can check out the details here The Great GET-AWAY Give Away.  It is not too late to join in!  DO IT!

Jim's post echoed my thoughts, and sometimes my ranting, every time I would walk into a store IN OCTOBER or see a Christmas commercial when my doorbell is ringing with little dressed up cherubs or hear radio stations roll out the holiday tunes early.  My family knows this about me and now I KNOW I am not alone in my sentiment:  I believe the Christmas season should be reserved for AFTER Thanksgiving.  So I'll save more of my reasoning for my official post and get on with the question:

How do you feel about the holidays this time of the year, particularly the ever-melding of ThanksChristgivmasing that is continually being 'pushed' more and more each year?

Please know that you are free to share however you view this time of year.  I respect your views completely.  I just happen to be a traditionalist when it comes to Thanksgiving and Christmas.  So in your post, tell us where you lean - are you a staunch traditionalist or do you roll out the carols and the peppermint mocha everything in October?  What IS your favorite holiday?  IF you happen to be of the 'Thanksgiving Comes First' camp, entitle your post as such and keep the movement going.  Spread the word via your words!  If not, deck your halls and bring on the eggnog!

As for me, I often get curious looks when I say that Thanksgiving is one of my top favorite holidays.  Particularly in Christian circles, 'What?!?!  You mean Christmas isn't your favorite holiday?  Are you seriously besmirching baby Jesus lying in a manger?'  No.  They don't really say that but facial expressions communicate so much.  I then proceed to also say that 4th of July probably ties Thanksgiving for first and I have just then committed heresy.  I do have fun with that. 

First of all, Christmas and Easter for me aren't holidays.  They are a way of life that I seek daily.  What they mean to me, and what the world says they are clashes so mightily that it could be compared to a sonic boom.  For me, if my life isn't reflecting a humility echoing from a dusty, hay-filled manger, and my day-to-day isn't laying down my life for another in one small way (or big) or another, its ALL a clanging noise...and sparkle...and tinsel and distraction.  So the chasm between what our culture calls Christmas and what my heart knows is miles apart.

Second, I came to love Thanksgiving as a holiday in all its simplistic goodness as an adult, particularly when I was somehow deemed Chairperson and CEO of everyone's holiday good cheer, and suddenly I found myself in the role of being in charge of 'creating' the perfect Christmas environment, gathering and then purchasing (and budgeting) for all the gift shopping, writing,addressing and stamping cards,  planning and preparing all the world of gluttony goodies, coordinating and negotiating family gatherings (and THIS was one of our BIGGEST point of contentions in our earlier married days).  For me, Christmas went from being a magical wonderment as a child to a season of stress and spending that left me worn out and tired by January one.  I am not singling out the guys here but I think I can hear a resounding 'Amen sister!' from my gals from around the globe.  I don't 'own' that role anymore and have changed much of what I thought I had to do for the holidays.  It is quite freeing.

Thanksgiving has managed to get through the first 200 years of our country's existence unscathed by commercialism.  Other than turkeys, you don't have to buy a single thing.  I am actually amazed that some store or company somewhere hasn't figured out how to 'market' Thanksgiving.  I think they have tried.  Hallmark has the card section for Thanksgiving cards with all the brown and orange and yellow envelopes, but to those I say, 'meh'.  I think most people would agree.  

Okay, okay - let me stop here before you all start calling me 'Grinch' or huffing 'bah humbug' my way.  I am not saying I don't enjoy Christmas - I can get my mistletoe-chestnuts-over-an-open-fire on and get into some fa-la-la.  It's a focus thing for me.  

Third, an issue with all this holiday identity confusion that you may not have thought about before:

Bringing out the Christmas clutter on the shelves at the same time as the Halloween junk is INCREDIBLY confusing to the little ones.  Seriously, people!  I would say before second grade or so, when they are still learning how to tell time and read a calendar and a concept of time is vague and they are reliant on us grown ups to orchestrate and schedule their days, throwing a cardboard cutout of Santa on the shopping aisle in the fall is terribly confusing to those little babies.  They don't understand.  They trust US to guide them safely through life and time until they can understand it on their own.  I know this because I taught these cherubs and I will never forget  some sweet loves thinking Santa was coming "next week" because they saw the Christmas stuff out at 'Walhell'.  We had not even had Halloween yet.  I had to explain to them that we encounter Halloween first, count the days and then Thanksgiving, then more days and then Christmas.  We drew a timeline.  We used buttons to count on a calendar so that in some concrete way to grasp an abstract concept.  

Commercialism is selling out our kiddos and they become a 'bottom dollar'.  They want your sweet offspring to start whining through their Spiderman masks what they want for Christmas.  Who needs Thanksgiving (who's thankful, anyway?) when we have to get people in the stores to start their shopping now?

I could go on (trust me - ask mi familia).  I will spare you.  However, I will be found on November 22nd surrounded by what truly matters - family and friends, amidst my fall decor with a bountiful list of reasons to be grateful.  I am glad we do have a yearly reminder to be thankful.  Now if I can just have thanksgiving every day.

Update!  I just got this petition via email.  Timely since we are looking to 'take back' Thanksgiving.  Sign this petition asking that Target be closed on Thanksgiving.

Change.org|Online Petition Form

Link up and share your thoughts on the holidays!