I will start by conjuring up the images that come to my mind when
I think of Thanksgiving…my late Aunt Sara’s house, sweet potato pie, turkey,
football and family. When you think of Thanksgiving, what images come to mind?
I grew up watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade in
television, taking little interest in the balloons, but more in the
performances that seemed to happen every few minutes and trying to figure out
if there were lip-syncing or not. Santa
was never big on my radar, but it seemed to pacify my younger brothers.
Presently, Thanksgiving weekend is the busiest travel weekend of
the year. Around tens of millions of people each year travel more than 50 miles
in order to share Thanksgiving dinner with their families…talk about a yearning
for home!
If you think about it, however, the actual events of Thanksgiving
Day aren’t that exciting. Outside of watching the Macy’s Parade, tens of
millions of people watch football, while tens of millions of people cook mass
quantities of food. Then they all get together to eat more than they should,
only to top off their gluttony with sweet potato pie and ice cream.
Thanksgiving should be about more than a parade, pigskin play, and
fantastical deserts. Thanksgiving is still meant to be a time for gratitude.
This has been the point of Thanksgiving Day throughout history.
I’m not asking we give up any of our prized Thanksgiving
traditions. Go ahead and watch the parade and the games, if that makes your day
special. Drive several hours to Uncle Joe and Aunt Mary’s house. Eat way too
much dessert…these can be delightful traditions.
But I am going to ask you not to forget the heart of Thanksgiving.
In fact, I’m going to encourage you to let Thanksgiving be more than just a
day!
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