Somebody Stole Thanksgiving!

Where did November go? And what happened to Thanksgiving? It used to be celebrated between Halloween and Christmas, but now it seems that people are wearing Santa outfits to Halloween parties, goblins have been replaced by elves, candy handed out to trick-or-treaters is now wrapped in Christmas wrapping paper, and the only thing we’re thankful for is a day off from work. Keen marketers have stolen our holiday! There is no money to be made in being thankful, is there?

Not that long ago, Thanksgiving was a time to reflect on all that we are thankful for: a roof over our heads, food on the table, and love from our family. But the advertising on TV and the flyers in our newspapers, which are packed with sales for the latest and greatest, have left us with the feeling that we don’t have enough.

Like others, I got caught up in the frenzy for more stuff this year. I drooled over the Black Friday sales, and before I went to bed on Thanksgiving Day, I circled all the items I wanted to buy and set the alarm for 3:30 AM. The alarm did not ring, and I woke up late, feeling like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz when the hot air balloon left without her. Instead of rushing to get dressed and hope that some of the things I wanted were left, I poured a cup of coffee and sat in my living room looking out the window. That’s when it dawned on me: I had so much to be thankful for. At that moment, I realized that many of us have grown to believe if we had this TV or that handbag, we’d be happier. But we never are, not for long anyway.

Our eating habits have also lost Thanksgiving; we don’t take the time to reflect on what we eat and to give thanks for having food. We’ve super-sized our appetites, just like our shopping habits, but instead of being healthy and happy, we have become overweight and miserable. We are deep in debt for buying what we don’t need, and we are packed in unhealthy fat for eating more food than our bodies could use.

Perhaps it’s time to slow down and reflect on all that we have before we make another purchase, reflect on how many calories we’ve eaten before we take another bite, and reflect on the stress created by our burgeoning debt and bulging waistlines, neither of which adds to the quality of life.