PLEASE DON'T CHRISTMAS ME YET

Good old Brandon said in an otherwise lovely post:

Now that Halloween (Reformation Day) is over...tis' Christmas season.

Nooooooooo!!!!!

Thanksgiving is my favorite national holiday,  It's a standalone.  It is not a suburb of Christmas.

I'll admit that on Thanksgiving I don't think very much about our national heritage and the origins of the holiday.  I focus on cultivating a spirit of contentment and gratitude.  For so many, Christmas is about wondering what we're about to get.  Lots of anticipation.  Thanksgiving is the opposite, a time to enjoy the people and things I already have.  A time to slow down and take a peaceful stroll on an autumn morning (and not see reindeer on people's lawns!).  And, of course, a time to eat Aunt Joyce's cooking.

Ya know, maybe the reason Thanksgiving still seems like a gentle, friendly holiday to me is because the forces of commercialism have ignored it somewhat in their incessant pursuit of Christmas.  In their world, the Christmas season will continue to start earlier and earlier.  But in my heart, it will never begin until all the leftovers are gone.

Comments

[kimj]

I love this post! I completely agree with you. I love Thanksgiving. It is my favorite holiday, for exactly the reasons you have shared. Have a great November and enjoy the blessings of this season.

[zalm]

I'm with you. It's not time for Christmas yet.

But still... Thanksgiving clearly needs better songs.

[Michelle]

Starting the Christmas season after Halloween has changed Christmas for me. I find myself feeling like I just can't wait for it to be over with. Too much, too much.