Whatever Happened to Thanksgiving?!

   So, can I just say that I am a little ticked off? I don’t tend to get ticked off that often, I may get annoyed but I feel like that is a different thing. Why am I ticked off? It’s because of Christmas.

   I know what you’re thinking, why is a Christian ticked off because of Christmas? It’s because of the fact that Christmas has begun to overshadow Thanksgiving. There are Christmas advertisements up already, Christmas songs playing on the radio, and Christmas decorations being hung up. Worst of all some stores are opening up on Thanksgiving at 6 pm. Hello people! There’s a red flag there already! Because stores are opening up on Thursday (Thanksgiving), the American culture is basically saying that what we have is not good enough. I realize that it is good for the economy and that the stores make a lot of money on Black Friday; but it’s call Black Friday for a reason, it’s not called Black Thursday.

   Now back to the Christmas songs and decorations. I realize that Christmas should be every day because we need to have good will toward everyone; and because we should be thanking God for his gift every day. However, as I stated in last year’s Christmas post  Christmas has become the season of getting. People are much too busy thinking about what they don’t have rather than what they do have.

   So, now you know why I’m ticked off. It’s like Thanksgiving doesn’t even exist anymore. We are told, in the American culture, that we don’t have enough. We need to have our own house, a few good cars, a dog, two children, and so on. And yet, we also celebrate Thanksgiving which is a national holiday. So, what do we have to be thankful for when we are told nothing we have, nothing we do, and nothing that we are is good enough?

   What can we do in our culture? We cannot fall into the trap of the American dream. We can remember what Christmas is really about. And, we can be thankful for what we do have. When people look at us they need to see that we are thankful for what we have. They need to see that we trust God to provide for our needs. They need to see that we are different, that we are set apart. That way they will wonder “what does she have that I don’t have?” Or, “why is he so content with what he has?”

   Once again, to clarify, I do love Christmas. I love Christmas time; and how people try to be kind and bring peace on earth. I love the decorations, the songs, and spending time with family. But, I think it’s important to remember the real reason for the season. I think we also need to remember that Thanksgiving still exists. We need to be Thankful for what we have, for what God has given us.

   I encourage you to think about how you have been viewing Thanksgiving this year. Have you been already getting into the Christmas season, thinking about plans and what you want/need to get for others? Or, have you been thinking about how thankful you are to have a home, family, food to eat, clothes to wear, and so on?