Just Wondering....

What happened to Thanksgiving?

If your town is anything like my town, you’re probably already bombarded with Christmas decorations and signs reading Sale! Start Holiday Shopping Now! On October 30, I popped into my local Garden Ridge to stock up on last minute Halloween supplies; it took me 45 minutes to walk through plastic Christmas trees (in purple and pink, no less), to find one tiny, sad little aisle dedicated to tiny, sad little ghosts and goblins.

I fear the spirit of commercialism has taken over, and by the time Christmas actually does roll around, many of us will have rolled our eyes and asked, “Who cares?”

Now, don’t get me wrong. I love the holidays; it truly is my favorite time of year. I just feel that the sense of urgency to buy gifts as soon as possible has overshadowed the reason for the season.

And we seem to have forgotten about Thanksgiving altogether.

Many of us are too caught up in the bright, twinkly lights and the twenty percent coupons to pay attention to the one day set aside for reflection and gratitude (we really should set aside a time each day for reflection and gratitude, but I’ll save my thoughts on that for another time).

I’d like for all of us to take a moment, take a deep breath, and focus on what this time of year really means.

It’s a time to count our blessings, and to share with others just how much they mean to us. It’s a time to offer up thanks for every good thing we’ve got, and realize the bad things are merely lessons to help us grow.

In the grand scheme of things, it really shouldn’t be about how many gifts we buy or how many decorative Santas we can place in our homes. It’s about spending our time – and money – wisely, and enjoying ourselves and the company of our loved ones.