What happened to the “thanks” in Thanksgiving?

I understand that the economy is hurting – we all feel it and have to acknowledge it in one way or another in our daily lives.  But this year the retail “push” to move the economy back up with a rush to the Christmas shopping craze just seems like too much!!  My kids’ HALLOWEEN costumes were barely off their backs before the stores were putting up the holiday lights, wreaths and plastic bulbs! The Christmas season hasn’t even started yet and I’m almost tired of the hype.

How can we take back Thanksgiving and enjoy that 4-day long weekend with a pause to reflect on all of the people and things in our lives that are going well? And some days it is hard to see the positive and be grateful for what we do have when we continually run a dialogue on what we don’t have.  And some days I am as guilty as the next person – especially on those gloomy, overcast Mondays.  L  All the more reason why we as parents need to take back Thanksgiving – in any way we can:

• Push employers to reinstate that Friday as a standard holiday – too many of us are either working that day, especially in retail at ridiculous hours, or are using up a vacation day to make sure we aren’t rushing back into the office.  How do we get that Thursday and Friday as mandatory days off across the country? Does it take an act of Congress or each of us on a local level asking employers to be generous with an extra day?
• Take a walk through the neighborhood or the local park with your kids.  Reconnect with them by not even having to say anything, just stroll down the street; comment here or there about what you see.  If you need a destination to make it helpful, I always aim for coffee or hot chocolate as a simple reward.  (Though some weeks I use that “reward” more than I should – I do like my cappuccino.)
• Rake leaves – the old fashion way!  Enjoy the noises and beauty of nature all around you.  The soreness of your arms, the crunch of the leaves, the chill in the air marking the changing season that is coming – you can’t notice those signs when you or your neighbors are constantly running that leaf blower!!!  I hate the noise those things make – it always gives me a headache and is such a noise polluter.  And it is not very social.  When you rake leaves together, everyone has a job and talks.  With a leaf blower, it seems to always be a one-man job all by yourself.

These simple things can help us remember the purpose of Thanksgiving in the first place:  family, friends and the gratitude for the things we do have around the table after a hard year.

Side note: I’ll be watching to see what happens in the coming weeks with the retail figures.  Did we use up all of our budgeted dollars for Christmas at 3 am on Thursday evening and that’s it for the season?  Or will there be a steady stream of purchases for every week leading up to the holiday to demonstrate a real recovery?  It might be a roller coast of emotions and reports as our retail dollars are tracked.  There is always the hope of those last minute shoppers, when the deals come back out again, right before the holidays.  That’s more my pace – I always do well with a deadline no matter how much I plan ahead or try to shop in July.  Yet there is always the guilt of someone I missed or someone on my list who I bought too much for throughout the year.

All the more reason why we need to take back Thanksgiving: a paradigm shift to a more grateful society.  A thank you for kids comes in many forms – a quiet game of “Go Fish” and a hot chocolate are amazing in the way they help us connect, at any age.