A little chat about the holidays...
I must say that Thanksgiving was indeed enjoyable. Instead of the usual turkey, we had chicken wings, along with various other good foodstuffs. It was something to look back on kindly.
"But wait." You say. "Why talk about Thanksgiving now, when Christmas is around the corner?"
I suspect in about three decades or so, the question will be "Wait, what's Thanksgiving again?"
And why? Well, I think Lewis Black-one of my favorite comedians, by the way- put it best.
"I can remember a time when Thanksgiving was Thanksgiving, not Christmas: part one."
And why has it become Christmas part one?
Comercialization. A good idea on the part of FDR during the depression, but now, it's just gone too far.
We've become so obsessed with buying things that Christmas has lost it's meaning now. Where's the tenderness, the kindness, the compassion? It's on sale, with just about everything else.
But perhaps I've spoken a bit too soon. Let's take a look at the reason we get gifts in the first place. When you give a gift, don't you give more than just a material object? Don't you also give your trust? Your emotions? Your love?
Think of the The Gift of the Magi. Jim and Della were perfectly willing to give up the things they valued most for the sake of each other. It that's not a gift in and of itself, I don't know what is.
So instead of the commercialization, the must have gifts, the shopping, it would be nice if we all could just return to what's really important. When you give a gift to someone, it doens't just say "Merry Christmas" or Happy Birthday."
It also says "I love you."
"But wait." You say. "Why talk about Thanksgiving now, when Christmas is around the corner?"
I suspect in about three decades or so, the question will be "Wait, what's Thanksgiving again?"
And why? Well, I think Lewis Black-one of my favorite comedians, by the way- put it best.
"I can remember a time when Thanksgiving was Thanksgiving, not Christmas: part one."
And why has it become Christmas part one?
Comercialization. A good idea on the part of FDR during the depression, but now, it's just gone too far.
We've become so obsessed with buying things that Christmas has lost it's meaning now. Where's the tenderness, the kindness, the compassion? It's on sale, with just about everything else.
But perhaps I've spoken a bit too soon. Let's take a look at the reason we get gifts in the first place. When you give a gift, don't you give more than just a material object? Don't you also give your trust? Your emotions? Your love?
Think of the The Gift of the Magi. Jim and Della were perfectly willing to give up the things they valued most for the sake of each other. It that's not a gift in and of itself, I don't know what is.
So instead of the commercialization, the must have gifts, the shopping, it would be nice if we all could just return to what's really important. When you give a gift to someone, it doens't just say "Merry Christmas" or Happy Birthday."
It also says "I love you."