MAYBE TURKEY DAY IS AN APT DESCRIPTION

11/23/10

It’s not Turkey Day. The purpose of the day is not to gorge ourselves on turkey. It’s also not the official start, or, more properly in our more enlightened age, the midway point, of the SWAG (Stress, Wantonness, Anxiety, and Greed) Season, which I now officially refuse to call the Christmas Season. (Yes, that other annual screed is coming shortly.) The purpose of the day is not to get out the ads and plan our Black Friday Day of Debauchery that marks the very essence, and low point, of the SWAG season. It’s not even a day to anesthetize ourselves on food and drink and idle away the day watching football.

No, for those of you too young to remember, the day is called THANKSGIVING Day, not TURKEY day, though, the way many people act during this day, perhaps the second moniker is indeed more fitting. The day was first declared by George Washington, an eminence, much to the surprise of the modern situation comedy and reality show addled American, whose importance at least equaled that of Bristol Palin in the American consciousness, and was declared a national holiday in 1863 by Abraham Lincoln, a fellow who was once at least as prominent as Kate Gosselin, or however she spells her name. The ideas was to commemorate the sacrifices of the Pilgrims, who arrived on our shores in one of the early waves of immigration that have made our nation great, and more importantly, to GIVE THANKS, a completely foreign concept in modern America, in which we have decided we are entitled to everything simply by virtue of the Olympian traits that automatically accrue from being Americans who were born after our forefathers.

And for what do we have to give thanks? The list is endless, but living in America, a once great nation that our ancestors left to us to fritter away on our selfish pursuits of self-indulgence and groundless self-assurance, has to be near the top. Unparalleled prosperity, or at least the final stages of unparalleled prosperity, would be near the top of the list as well. Our families and our friends, the love of a God whose infinite patience (Thank Him…especially now) is beyond being tried would be near, or, in the case of most of us, at, the top as well. The generosity of people who have helped us on our often perilous journey through life would have to be a biggie. The sacrifices of those who have left us, and who protect, this great nation is another huge gift for which to be grateful. The ability to think, write, speak, and worship God reasonably freely would also be at the top of our Thanksgiving list. Simple pleasures, like a good book, a great newspaper, a wonderful meal, or that special simple pleasure thing that especially appeals to us (in my case, ice water, iced tea, and White Castle) should be considered at this time of the year.

This is indeed a near desperate plea to save the one holiday that has not yet been completely destroyed by a society characterized by materialism, excerebrosity, and an obsession with groundless self-congratulation. Don’t make Thanksgiving just a staging point for the SWAG season, the sacrilegious remnant of what was once called the Christmas season until our self-obsessed society had its predictable way with it. Don’t make what is obnoxiously called “Turkey Day” become a day to stuff yourself with both food and satisfaction at your self-reliance. PLEASE remember to give THANKS on THANKSgiving, to God and to others, if you are a believer, or to others and good fortune if you are not.

God bless you and your family at Thanksgiving and always.