NOVEMBER 2009 - There’s a house around the corner from where we live that is decorated for every holiday, not just the big ones, the little ones, too. I often drive by (it’s not the quickest way home), just to see what they’ve put out.
It’s quite a sight. Or should that be site? The little wood frame house isn’t all that big, but their decorations sure are. I can’t imagine where they store it all. They have a host of leprechauns and clovers for March, big plastic and inflatable bunnies for Easter, flags for July, pumpkins and skeletons for October, turkeys and pilgrims for November and all manner of Christmas trees, presents, angels, Jesuses and Marys for December.
I’m not talking about a few items. I mean every square inch of lawn is covered in an assortment of lights, decorations and holiday symbols. Evidently, the quick turnaround between Halloween and Christmas has created something of a conundrum for the folks who live there.
My son and I drove by a few days before Thanksgiving to check out the display. We were greeted with a collection of holiday throw-up that, well, was hard to process. There were pumpkins, turkeys and even a few Christmas Jesuses on prominent display. I think I called it a hodgepodge, but my middle schooler had a different take on it. “They’re celebrating Thanksmas,” he said.
Thanksmas. I like that. I’ve mulled that word over a few times in recent days. I think I’m going to start celebrating it. It was just a few weeks ago that my daughter pointed out that the retailers and network TV have pretty much eliminated Thanksgiving. “They skipped Thanksgiving,” she said when a Christmas commercial aired the day after Halloween.
It’s true, you know. Most of us have skipped giving thanks. I overheard someone talk about their family’s Thanksgiving tradition the other day that kind of illustrated the point. This family gathers not to eat, but to plan the Black Friday shopping extravaganza that begins well before daylight the day after Thanksgiving. In addition to the turkey and dressing, each person brings a shopping tool: a newspaper full of advertising circulars, Internet print-outs and maps of Metro-Atlanta. Meanwhile, the rest of the family gathers silently in front of the TV to watch football.
I’m just not sure that’s how all this was intended to be when the Puritans and the Indians first gathered to celebrate the harvest. For my family, Thanksgiving is the day we slow things down, eat homemade food around the table, say grace and offer prayerful, sincere thanks. You couldn’t pay me to get up at 2 a.m. to fight with an army of Junior Service Leaguers and grandmothers for a great deal on a flat screen TV. I just don’t understand it. Then again, I don’t understand not giving thanks either.
This Thanksmas notion has gotten me to thinking. Maybe Thanksgiving should be the kickoff for a month-long time of blessing-counting. We’ll call it Thanksmas. Decorate however you want. Put a Santa hat on your Jack-o-Lantern. Heck, hang turkeys on your Christmas tree. Whatever you do this month, though, take time to give thanks.
Start by looking heavenward and acknowledging that the gifts you have are endowed from above, but take some time to say it aloud to your friends and family, too. During Thanksmas, let’s try to tell God at least one thing per day for which we’re thankful, and let’s tell at least one family member and one friend one thing per day for which we’re thankful. It’s an experiment in gratitude. I’ve got a feeling that by Christmas, you’ll be more appreciative than you ever have.
Imagine the long checkout line ending with you telling the cashier how much you appreciate her patience. Imagine telling your kid how grateful you are that she is trying her best in school. Imagine telling your wife how much you appreciate her ability to plan a meal, keep the recital and Christmas party schedule straight and make your favorite rice pudding. Imagine telling God, every day, that you’re thankful for your health, for your job, for the roof over your head, for your family, for your friends, for your freedom, for the soldiers fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, for electricity and for indoor plumbing.
Starting Friday, I'm celebrating Thanksmas. I hope you’ll join me.
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