A case for the celebration of Thanksgiving

I opened my inbox this morning to a flood of junk messages proclaiming Black Friday deals and Thanksgiving store hours.  A radio station here is already playing Christmas music.  And teaching about giving thanks on Thanksgiving to a bunch of kindergartners was a little difficult since 50% of them already had Christmas decor up at home.

So in this mad rush to Christmas, I think it best that a case be made to celebrate Thanksgiving.  True, the holiday is a nice opening ceremony to the Christmas season, but I'd argue that it has a bit more value than that.  And I know that other countries don't celebrate Thanksgiving and I know that our Thanksgiving has some questionable history in it's origins.  But I'm not sure any of that is a reason to skip this particular holiday.

Like I told my kindergartners, the purpose for the holiday is in it's name.  Thanksgiving -- to give thanks.  There is something to be said for a purposeful, intentional slowing of our lives with the sole goal of giving thanks.   I teach my children after all, say thank you prompting them throughout the day.
Naturally, the act of being thankful should be, ought to be, a daily, moment-by-moment act.  But the designation of a specific day to be thankful doesn't negate our daily thanks giving.  In the same way that celebrating a birthday doesn't negate the love we have for the person of honor but rather highlights, emphasizes that love, so too the celebration of thanks giving.

Here's why I love Thanksgiving.  It is the one holiday that doesn't pull on family to celebrate.  I don't have to juggle schedules and timetables; I don't have to worry about things being just so.  No one calls to ask about last minute gift ideas and I don't have to worry about making sure there is enough room in the car for all the loot.  The few days before Thanksgiving, I am able to spread out on my kitchen table all my beloved recipes and choose just the right ones for the celebrations. I spend time in my happy place, cooking with love for those I love.  And then on the day of celebration, all we do is spend time together.  We don't have a time table, other than a rough time for the meal to start.  There is no pretense, no fancy clothes or table linens.  Just good food, and lots of family.  So many opportunities to look around, in quiet or in cacophony, and give thanks. The kids aren't focused on themselves (any more than usual anyway).  They understand that the day is just to be thankful; in so many ways, is just to be. I always wish Thanksgiving was a multi-day celebration, wanting just one more day to just be, to sit and be thankful.

I think it's important to slow, pause, be thankful.  The season of advent starts a few days after Thanksgiving.  A time to purposefully prepare to celebrate the birth of Christ.  How better to start than by thanking the God of heaven.  To spend time doing nothing but being thankful.  Not asking for anything, not expecting anything.  Just saying thank you.  Just acknowledging that every thing is from above.

I started a thankful journal a while back. My goal was to get to 1000 things.  I never made it -- not because there aren't 1000 things but because the act of being always thankful is so contrary to our lives.  I keep returning to it, though.  Determined, committed to finding those 1000 things, to seeing my life through a lens of thanks.  I highly recommend you read 1000 Gifts by Ann Voskamp; let her lead you into thanksgiving.  Actually read it twice, as a review I read said, it's red meat -- give it some time to digest.

So this week, despite my mind already swirling with the demands of the holiday season, I'm going to purposefully pause, intentionally quiet and give thanks.  When the din of dinner is all around, I'm going to let me mouth be silent and offer a prayer of thanksgiving.  For the good, for the bad, for all.  Because from Him comes all because of nothing but love.  And for that I am forever thankful.