It was a simple task really; find themed plates and napkins for the preschool’s Thanksgiving feast. I signed up for this in early November- almost two weeks before Thanksgiving. I looked everywhere from craft stores, to grocery stores to dollar stores and I found exactly zero Thanksgiving themed plates. What I did find, I am sure you can guess, were Christmas plates, Menorah napkins, and holly berry tablecloths. You name it, if Santa and his eight reindeer or their snowmen friends were on it then it was available for purchase at any store I wanted.
Now, I’m not going to complain about the Holiday Decorations being out too early or even being in every store-whether they make sense or not (who needs Santa hats where you buy your bra?). No, that would be way too overdone. And to be quite honest, I’m alright with it. I worked in retail forever and I am in sales now. I understand that the earlier you get people excited about gift giving, the quicker they’ll spend their money in your store. Also, on a less-cynical note, I sometimes don’t mind the warm and cozy feeling that comes when you walk into a place that has fake snow and the scent of clove in the air.
I won’t complain about whatever holiday you celebrate in December showing up in mid-November. What I will complain about is that it seems that all the Holiday Joy that comes after December first has completely usurped Thanksgiving all together. Not only are the decorations out early, they are in place of anything turkey themed, weeks before we even dress the turkey.Perhaps I am just bitter because I happen to like Thanksgiving the best. For me it has always been a simple holiday where family gathers and just enjoys each other. There is no pressure to give just the right gift or fake-love just the wrong gift. There are no gluttony fueled children dressed like superheroes begging for candy. There is no pressure for resolutions or living better-starting tomorrow.Thanksgiving has always been a time when I force myself to stop and look at all that I have to be thankful for. I relish the time spent with people I care about. I am lucky that I have a family that (mostly) gets along-at least for that day. I love the parade. I really love the food and the sentiment of the whole day is something I want to pass along to my kids.
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Next year I’ll just remember to shop for my turkey plates around the Fourth of July.
