This is the first day of Thanksgiving week. Or on some calendars yesterday was the first day of this week. It is your choice.
This week will be the most traveled week in the U.S. for the year. Everybody wants to find themselves home among relatives and memories; And of course food; And of course football games. Whoever heard of family Thanksgiving day with family gathered around if the TV isn't on playing football? It is the American way.
Also, it is the week that officially ushers in the Christmas season. Proof of that will be at the tail end of the NYC Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade Thursday morning when Saint Nick himself will officially open the joyful season. Ho Ho.
Retailers have jumped the gun. Already I notice in discount department Christmas music being played and Christmas decorations here and there. And most importantly, the cash registers singing jingle bells.
This year the larger stores, like Wal-Mart are tossing aside political correctness for sales correctness. They were somewhat boycotted last year because they tried to avoid using the word Christmas or Christ and tried out "Holiday Season". It didn't work.
The Christians are a little greedy - they want the whole season of 30 days plus to be taken in the honor of the birth of their belief.... and it is just tough if you don't share the same belief - what right do you have to believe otherwise anyway?
It is also the week many households will decorate their homes in Christmas decorations. We are planning our moves now. I will bring Christmas decorations up from the basement. Also we will get to try out a new artificial tree that already has it lights on it. When we bought it last year after Christmas (it was marked down) the cashier told us to just bring it back if it didn't work. Since then the place have went out of business. We hope we will have our decorations up by Sunday.
The family at the end of the street – the lady always seems a little hyper to me - strives every year to have her decorations up first. One night last week I noticed Christmas lights on the outside of their house beaming electric happiness.
Across the street, Bob and his family never took down their outside lights, from the time they put them up several years ago. I almost wish that they turned their lights on weeks ago to beat the hyper lady.
Happy Thanksgiving week!
It is odd that a curmudegeonly person like me would love this timeof year, but I do. It's my favorite. The air is just a bit crisper, and despite the crowds of idiots and assholes thronging stores and public places, I can't help but be cheerful. The hard part is resisting all the food.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your decorating. I wonder if Bob's lights even work.
Suzanne,
ReplyDeleteI feel about the same as you do this time of the year. When I was in the Navy, nothing was sadder, warmer, or provoking than to be away from home at
Christmas and the air is full of Christmas music.
The food - I start off each year trying to avoid it or be moderate - and before it is all over I cave and double my running and walking.
Tis the Season!
Susanne,
ReplyDeleteP.S.
I think all Bob will have to do is turn flip a switch or plug in a plug. Or at least they were working for a party last spring.
If the lights don't Joe will simply return to the CVS Pharmacy he burned down last year and steal some more.
bah humbug...Last year, I threw our xmas tree away, ornaments and all...I was in such a funk that I just put one of those giant garbage bags over it, tied it up and threw it away...
ReplyDeleteBird,
ReplyDeleteWell, Humbug then.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDelete