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E-mail a friendYOUNG VOICES
The Death of Thanksgiving
We're all gathered here today to remember something that has been part of American tradition for a long time. A comfort, a joy, a day of the year that brought friends and families together to reflect on all the wonderful bounties that they have enjoyed throughout the year. Unfortunately Christmas killed Thanksgiving this year, leaving nothing more than a trace of angry shoppers and pumpkin pie.
If you're like me, you take your holidays one at a time. It starts with Valentine's Day, time for romance and chocolates. Then we roll right into Easter and decorating eggs, then Memorial Day and the beginning of summer, complete with long sunny days and afternoons by the pool. Before we know it, it's the 4th of July, filled with fireworks, BBQs, and appreciation for our great nation. Summer winds down, the weather gets cooler and Labor Day is at our doorstep, reminding children that it's time to head back to school. As the leaves turn bright fall colors and begin to drop to the ground, Halloween gives us an excuse to buy costumes and eat inordinate amounts of candy. Then it's finally here—Thanksgiving, the only important holiday in November, the most traveled week of the year, and the least marketable holiday of the year. Not to worry, Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, has given us all an opportunity to charge large sums of cash onto our credit cards, ushering in the most festive time of year, Christmas and New Year's.
Each holiday provides a reason to celebrate something special, be it our independence or love. This year, things have been different. Just as I was purchasing my books for fall classes, I was being inundated by Halloween costumes and candy. And as I was buying my costume and candy, I was being inundated with Christmas. With the holidays fighting for the limelight, and Christmas starting in September, Thanksgiving never even had a chance. As George Bernard Shaw once said, "A perpetual holiday is a good working definition of hell."
As we mourn the passing of a good and loyal holiday, Thanksgiving, let us give thanks that at least getting unwanted sweaters and fruit cake early means we can re-gift before the end of the season.