Thanksgiving is a weird sort of holiday.
Sandwiched between arguably the two most commercialized days of the year, Halloween and Christmas, there is basically zero buildup. In fact, my impression is that more people are concerned with the day after Thanksgiving than the day itself. Heck, even the day before is of concern since it’s the “biggest travel day of the year.” Listening on the radio, all of the radio stations have begun their Christmas holiday programming.
Perhaps Thanksgiving is a gateway holiday: it marks the official beginning of the Christmas season.
Thanksgiving is a laid back sort of holiday. Everyone knows it’s coming, and everyone has plans, but nobody really talks it up. There are no big Thanksgiving day sales. There are no formalized gift-giving ceremonies. Aside from the day itself, the only ritual I can actually think of is the Presidential Turkey pardon. Oh, and the parade.
Break out the bubbly! The President pardoned a turkey! YEEEHAW! (Resisting urge for political turkey jokes…)
But then if I think a little more about it, I realize that there’s no one formal Thanksgiving ritual, aside from the turkey eating anyway. But millions of people all have their own Thanksgiving ritual. Travelling to see family. Watching football games. Maybe you eat ham instead of turkey. Or lamb. Or you sit and watch the Thanksgiving day parades. Or not. The parade isn’t exactly my cup of tea- but that’s just me. Go ahead, you can watch it. Fine be me.
Perhaps Thanksgiving is mostly about taking a day off. One day where everyone sits back and relaxes. Eat some good food. Hang with friends and family. Just a day where work and bills and social concerns are put on the shelf. Everyone gets a chance to decompress.
Because tomorrow is Black Friday and you’re gonna have to get up early and fight like Kung Fu Panda to get that one toy that little Johnny has been pining for. Then after that it’s the weekend with hockey or football games or exams. Plus there’s less than a month ’til Christmas and you haven’t finished your shopping yet for Aunt Gretta; you never know what to get her either (she’s such a pain-in-the-ass like that). Plus there’s that holiday concert the kids are in that everyone dreads because it’s just not cool to bring the iPod along and listen to music you’ll actually enjoy listening to.
But for today, none of that matters. So sit back. Relax.
And be thankful there’s a day like this.
One reply on “Happy Thanksgiving”
So where did the term ‘Black Friday’ come from? History has shown many ‘Black’ days, most with dire consequences. Black Tuesday refers to the 1929 stock market crash. Black Friday in January 1939 refers to Australia’s day of horrible and devastating fires. In September 1869 the U.S. underwent a great financial crisis and termed the day Black Friday. Historically Black Fridays have never been good events.
In 1975 the shopping craze that followed Thanksgiving turned into Black Friday, in reference to the hectic crowds and horrendous traffic. Despite a slipping economy shoppers still came out in full force that year and caused several newspapers to call the day ‘Black Friday’, and thus the tradition began.
When I was young, the papers had ads for the Thanksgiving holiday, stores were decorated in traditional motifs with pumpkins, pilgrims, and corn stalks. There were many community events to mark the holiday, and it was a day of relaxation – not unlike it is today – BUT there was no commercialized RACE to get into the next great holiday. There were SALES of left over Thanksgiving decorations, and people even sent out Thanksgiving cards!! The transition to the next holiday was marked by specific events and tree lighting ceremonies and shopping did not start in August like it does today. Actually, Christmas decorations did not even become visible until the beginning of December ….
Maybe forward progress is not always a good thing … but at least I remember when Thanksgiving was a holiday in it’s own right and not a gateway … and there was no Black Friday or Cyber Monday !!