Skipping Thanksgiving

I assembled my Christmas playlist on youtube today, and have been repeatedly listening to it. I get chills whenever I listen to "Coventry Carol" and "Veni, Veni, Emmanuel" (among many others), and it's getting me extremely excited for the wonderful Christmas season.

But before I get caught up in describing my favorite things about Christmas and make this post all about chocolate oranges and caroling parties, I want to express my hope that my family and friends don't forget that very important holiday between the costume parties of Halloween and the Advent Calendars of Christmas.

I'm talking about Thanksgiving.

Of course, nobody really forgets Thanksgiving, but how many of us remember what we're supposed to be celebrating? The holiday is nicknamed "Turkey Day," and from what I've noticed this month, that's literally all it is to most people--a day to eat turkey. Oh, and there were some pilgrims involved. And some Native Americans attended, I think? And it was in November? Yeah, that sounds right. Pass the mashed potatoes!

Is that really what Thanksgiving is all about?

I may be wrong, but I don't think God wants us to give thanks for our abundance by seeing our huge tables of food and just eating it in obscene amounts until it's gone. Okay, sure, you often share it with family members, but even they go home with doggie bags that last for weeks. And I think that's where the "giving" part of Thanksgiving is warped and virtually lost. We think that because we shared our food with other wealthy, prosperous people that we've done enough giving to last us until Christmas. As for the "thanks" bit, maybe you'll go around the table and one-by-one say something you're thankful for.

Christmas is supposed to be all about gift-giving, and yet everyone seems too occupied about the gift-getting (I may have to get into that later in December). Similarly, Thanksgiving Day has turned into Socially Acceptable Gluttony Day with maybe an off-handed comment about gratitude to get us by (and that's a big maybe).

I don't really know what the solution is, I'm just noticing the problem. I'm by no means a servant to the poor--heck, I rarely leave the house, and I'll be right alongside my family members digging into the green bean casserole. But I sincerely hope that I will be able to find some way to share the wealth, and I hope that my family will help me in this endeavor. At BYU, sharing with the poor was easy because we were all poor. We once made a 9x13 pan of casserole and invited over and fed over 20 people, because we could. Because we could make it go around . We didn't have much, but nobody left hungry. I want THAT kind of Thanksgiving, a holiday where I look at my plate of food and go, "Thank you, God, for the fact that I won't be going hungry tonight," and then split my portion with the person sitting next to me. That could either happen by making smaller portions and hoarding the rest, or it could be done by making as much excess food as we have (not including food storage) and giving it all away.

That seems like such a foreign concept in America. People want the biggest slice of pie, the last roll for themselves, even if (and when) their stomachs are physically too full to eat anymore. Couldn't we all just step back for a minute, turn the attention away from the yams and look to heaven with hearts full of the gratitude that our pilgrim forefathers expressed? It became a national holiday (and, I'm sure, a holiday meant for God's Children to celebrate) not because it gives us yet another excuse to over-eat, but because the pilgrims and the Native Americans demonstrated humility and thanks, shared what they had after a blessed season, and inspired others to do the same year after year.

Let's not warp and tarnish that idea. Let's not forget all about being thankful until the day comes and then just celebrate "Turkey Day." Please, in this short time between Halloween and Christmas, let's not skip Thanksgiving.