The Usual Rant

   Something was missing. I noticed that after the paper ghosts and witches were removed from my store the day after Halloween the ceilings were bare. That's not usual. At this time of year there is always some sort of decoration.
  I looked in the seasonal aisle and found my answer. The seasonal aisle was filled with Christmas candy. The missing decoarations were the turkeys and cornicopias that are associated with Thanksgiving.
  Of course, it all makes sense now. No one wants to put up Thanksgiving decorations when the whole focus should be solely on Christmas. Thanksgiving isn't really important. It's almost in the way. Why should we have to be inconvenienced by this nothing of a holiday? There are deals to be had, money to be spent and profit to be made. Yes, we all like the day off, but what good does it do us if we can't go out and shop. Really. People who work retail should know that the most important thing is to get all the good stuff while it is still on sale. If you work retail, you really shouldn't have a family. Families get in the way of shopping.
  I think you have figured out  that I am incensed. Yes, I am. I am also irate, ticked off, rankled, riled, cheesed off, fuming and indignant. Year by year I have watched as this holiday went from celebrated to tolerated to now nearly ignored.
  Instead of news stories on where you can find information on how to cook a turkey, there are stories about which retailers will be open on Thanksgiving and when to get the best deals on gifts. Stores are decorated with Christmas trees, bells and garland. Some places are playing Christmas music. Billboards are advertising deals on gift cards.
 AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    Thanksgiving is important. It is the only holiday that everyone in the country can relate to. I can't think of a single religion where gratitude isn't considered a virtue. Even those who practice no faith would agree that being grateful is a good thing. I think most of us would agree that we like it when someone says, "thank you" to us. I also know that many people tend to get irate if some expression of gratitude is not given. How many times have we heard others complain about ungrateful children, bosses or friends?
 We need Thanksgiving. I found the following quote in a blog called 'Healing Philosophy'. "Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity... It turns problems into gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow." Melodie Beatty. This really sums up why I feel Thanksgiving is so important.
  Part of this comes from personal experience. When I was younger my mother gave me a 'gratitude journal'. This was part of a practice that was very popular at the time. There were all kinds of books on gratitude. In this journal, all I had to do was write down three things for which I was grateful every day. Some days it was very easy. Some days it was much harder. I have to admit, I did cheat a little because very day I listed my two cats, Ary and Nim. I was truly grateful for them. They helped me get through some tough times.  It also taught me that no matter what happened I always, always had something to appreciate.
  We need this now more than ever. There are so many things that divide us. I don't think a day goes by when I see some group bashing another group or one group protesting another group. There is us and them and we don't want them, whoever they are, to win. One of the few things that we have left in common is that we can all be grateful for something. Why are we as a culture allowing it to be snuffed out?
  I am going to hold on. Thanksgiving will be celebrated in my house this year. I am going to make a turkey breast and all the trimmings that go with it. I'm going to spend it at home with my family. I'm going to reflect with gratitude on what I have. I'm not going out to a mall to chase what I haven't.