On The Way

It's coming. It's on the way. Pretty soon it will be here -Christmas Day!

And just in the off-chance there's someone out there in the general public who isn't aware of this, almost every where you go or look, there's another reminder about Christmas being on the way.

Who doesn't know that next Friday is one of the biggest "holiday" occasions on the calendar as it's just about every retailer's day of merchandising magic when they open earlier and earlier each year to make their fantastic bargains even more appealing to the average shopper.

And now, we can't even go to a mode of escapism to free ourselves of the constant reminders about the upcoming Christmas season as even the Hallmark Channel on TV had begun running Christmas-themed movies like there is no tomorrow.

I probably wouldn't mind near as much the over-commercialization of the beautiful holiday of Christmas if it were not for how the materialistic madness now eclipses several other days that should be of at least equal importance.

But then those dates don't equate to extra special sales potential but rather are a type that requires us to be in a more pensive mode of operation.

I'm referring -if you hadn't already figured it out -to Veteran's Day and especially too, to Thanksgiving!

My good friend, Suldog aka Jim Sullivan, started this campaign to give at least Thanksgiving the recognition it so very much deserves a couple years ago and I have participated each year since then in his "Thanksgiving Comes First" program.

Anyone can participate in this program if you so desire. If you like to write and have a blog, do a post about why you believe Thanksgiving gets the "short-sheet" year after year when it is an equally important day -or should be -in our lives. Veteran's Day does get a little recognition but still not near the amount of play that goes to advertising whatever new items are being introduced (and lots of things that have been around too) sometimes even well before the Halloween decorations come down and the candy sales end!

Thanksgiving is a NATIONAL holiday, isn't it? A day that is designated -fourth Thursday in November -to be a special day when we all, regardless of our ethnic, cultural, religions, finances, football team preferences, etc., have and hold as one where we can all at least take a little time to be thankful for all that we have and hold dear. But how much advertising does one see year after year promoting this day for something as minor as giving thanks? Virtually none!

Yes, Christmas is a very important holiday, for sure, but with all the advertising campaigns that begin earlier and earlier and all the hype too about Black Friday and corporations requiring people to give up their entire or at the very least, several hours of the also important Thanksgiving Day, it cheapens then the meaning of Christmas -which is technically NOT specifically supposed to be about all of us going into hock for the next year or even longer, just to give as many presents as possible in supposed celebration of Christmas.

If people were to actually celebrate Christmas, they would realize the celebration is really about the most special, most wonderful gift that was given to all of us in a manger in Bethlehem, a little over 2,000 years ago!

The way to celebrate Christmas is to remember where it began and to give homage to the Christ Child, born on that day.

(And yes, I am aware that technically speaking, Christ was not born on the day we observe as his birthday but for whatever reason, it's a date chosen and it simply memorializes the beginning of his life here on earth. Nothing horribly wrong or inappropriate about that!)

I'm tired, sick to death really, about all the decorations in the stores, about all the advertising and yes, it disgusts me too that so many companies require their staff to give up their Thanksgiving to get things all set up for what -a big sale!

My family and I for many years have not always celebrated Thanksgiving on the day designated but rather on a Saturday either before or right after the actual Thanksgiving Day. We have done that because of the work schedules I often had or that my older daughter almost always has too now. She works in a hospital so obviously, they are running 24/7/365 and I worked a lot too at a job where the place was open 24/7/365 as well and someone had to man the ship, so-to-speak. There are some exceptions ya know to the work thing and how it can interplay and sure, interfere too with family plans. But there are ways around them.

Sadly, there's not much one can do though to eliminate the sights and sounds that pound away at us for several months now, in advance of Christmas. Other than to turn ourselves into a total recluse from mid-October thru to December 25th, that is.

But we don't have to participate in  supporting those places who force these things on us and what's the best way to lead an attack on a retail-type business if it's not to refuse to participate in their nonsense!

Put our values in order the way they should be and celebrate being thankful for all we have -even if you think you really have nothing -if you are able to read this and other posts along this vein, if you are awake today, that's something very important right there for which to give thanks! Family, employment, a roof over one's head, food on the table and in the cupboards and refrigerator, a mode of transportation, an education, church, parents whether still living or having passed on, children whether they are adults now or tiny infants, grandchildren especially too -clothes, books, doctors, you name it and I'm sure you get the picture. Take time on whenever your family designates as your own personal Thanksgiving Day and remember those things of importance to you.

And determine then what's more important in your life -the things that warrant thankfulness -or the extremism of the commercialization of another day that is of equal importance, yes, but each thing in its own time too.

Peace and have a blessed and very thankful Thanksgiving Day!