Until not too long ago, Thanksgiving was a relaxing yet reverent holiday that at the same time pleasantly ushered in the usual Christmas shopping season.
Now, however, the first commercial mentions of Christmas are being heard as early as October 1 which tends to not only eclipse Thanksgiving, but even some of the loud and gaudy aspects of Halloween.
Lamentable? Yes, but only a little bit, particularly if we consider that it’s not so much intentional as it is a simple matter of circumstance. That’s because Thanksgiving has its own unique traditions (the turkey dinner and all the associated stories), its own decorations (the emphasis on harvest and autumn beauty), and the emphasis on it being a family celebration (the entire family able to be together).
Best of all, there’s nothing about Thanksgiving that yells for attention or compels us to buy anything, to achieve much beyond normal limits, or to overly oblige anyone or anything. All we have to do is simply be there to eat together, to share all the things for which we are thankful, and to thank God for all His goodness and graciousness.
All of this tends to merge into a relaxed and pleasant state of being, maybe the only time of year when it’s possible to feel that way not only within ourselves, but also while we are in the company of those we love.
If there is any excitement, it is likely to be associated with the anticipation we all feel while waiting for the traditional Thanksgiving dinner to be served, or to the interesting and sometimes funny stories we often tell or hear afterward. For that matter, Thanksgiving Day is one of those rare times when we tend to not allow ourselves to dwell on the complicated or negative. All of that can come later.
Of the Thanksgivings during my life, I remember most vividly the ones when my dad, mom, sister and I, plus aunts, uncles, and cousins — a total of at least two dozen people — gathered at my grandparents’ farm house on Thanksgiving Day. When the big meal was served, we kids took our plates loaded with food and sat on the floor in little clusters while the oldsters sat around the big table in the dining room.
Afterward, if it wasn’t raining and was warm enough, we would take a walk outside, maybe on the gravel road that led down the hill to a bridge that crossed a small creek. We would lean over the guard rail and drop small rocks onto the ice to hear the thud or in the water to hear it splash, then make round circles. Sometimes, we just stayed on the farm and walked down the lane leading to a few acres of grassy landscape studded with big trees. In one corner was a big hay stack where the cows often congregated to enjoy the warmth of an early winter sun.
No one ever seemed to be in a hurry to do much of anything else as the afternoon slowly ticked away. Eventually, we had to say our goodbyes, then head toward home. Come bed time, it felt good to know that even in our idleness we had made the most of this special day.
In all of this, we might not have had any conscious thoughts about the facts surrounding Thanksgiving Day, that it originated the year after the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock. They joined the Wampanoag tribe in planting a corn crop that was so bountiful that they came together to celebrate their success.
The day continued to be observed in similar manner. Not until years later was it designated a holiday by President George Washington. He believed we should set aside the day to thank God for the fact that a republic had been established for freedom loving people.
From then on, it was a custom for each President to declare Thanksgiving a holiday. The custom stopped, however, when President Abraham Lincoln declared it a national holiday.
Almost 400 years have passed since that first Thanksgiving, yet the need has never been greater for all of us to give thanks for what we have and the freedoms we enjoy.
On that solemn note, here’s wishing you a most pleasant and thoughtful Thanksgiving Day.
