I went into a Hallmark store over the weekend to try and find some Thanksgiving related decorations.
I have a fondness for animated seasonal toys--and I realized that I have many for Christmas and Halloween, and Valentines Day. But none, for what is one of my favorite holidays--Thanksgiving.
I was thinking of animated turkey which sings "Turkey in the Straw" or some equally folksy theme.
Do you know what I found?
Christmas!
The store was Christmas-heavy with only one small shelf unit adorned with some very weak Thanksgiving items.
We have allowed the retailers to take control. We are losing contact with our past and with a holiday which should unite all Americans--from a purely American perspective devoid of religion--although the holiday was based upon religious precepts. Thanksgiving provides a time where we can gather to give thanks for what we have and what has been provided to us as a result of those who have gone on before.
But, as a society, I worry we have lost our sense of history--and our recognition of the struggles and victories of our forefathers, their hard earned victories are now seen as our entitlements--something we no longer really think about. We don't give thanks because we do not recognize how we became such an entitled people.
It has already happened to other holidays--Columbus Day and Veteran's Day to name two. Days when even the schools--which are government institutions fail to take time to teach the students, who are our future, to remember our past (good and bad) and the sacrifices of those deserving to be remembered. It is our past which brings us to where we are today and serves as the springboard for the future.
Happy Thanksgiving! It is coming. And while you are at it, don't forget Veteran's Day--it is tomorrow.
I have a fondness for animated seasonal toys--and I realized that I have many for Christmas and Halloween, and Valentines Day. But none, for what is one of my favorite holidays--Thanksgiving.
I was thinking of animated turkey which sings "Turkey in the Straw" or some equally folksy theme.
Do you know what I found?
Christmas!
The store was Christmas-heavy with only one small shelf unit adorned with some very weak Thanksgiving items.
We have allowed the retailers to take control. We are losing contact with our past and with a holiday which should unite all Americans--from a purely American perspective devoid of religion--although the holiday was based upon religious precepts. Thanksgiving provides a time where we can gather to give thanks for what we have and what has been provided to us as a result of those who have gone on before.
But, as a society, I worry we have lost our sense of history--and our recognition of the struggles and victories of our forefathers, their hard earned victories are now seen as our entitlements--something we no longer really think about. We don't give thanks because we do not recognize how we became such an entitled people.
It has already happened to other holidays--Columbus Day and Veteran's Day to name two. Days when even the schools--which are government institutions fail to take time to teach the students, who are our future, to remember our past (good and bad) and the sacrifices of those deserving to be remembered. It is our past which brings us to where we are today and serves as the springboard for the future.
Happy Thanksgiving! It is coming. And while you are at it, don't forget Veteran's Day--it is tomorrow.
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