20 November 2012

Still Musing about Thanksgiving . . .

Shared by a friend from India: "Americans are curious. You set aside a national holiday in which to be thankful for everything you have, but then spend at least part of it rushing around, looking to buy more."

Is anybody besides me old enough to remember when Thanksgiving was like the Sabbath? God was praised. Family was central. Food was wonderful, and something for which to be grateful -- and to share. (If we didn't have at least 15 people gathered around our ping pong table it was an off year.) Downtown Prescott was ghostly. The grocery stores were all closed. The two-theatre movie house was silent. (Yes, this was before silent movies!) Nobody thought anything of it because shopping never entered our minds.


I'm not sure the leaders we so often deride are the real problem here in the United States of Advertising. 

3 comments:

Debra Erfert said...

Thanksgiving Day is a jewel, to set in the hearts of honest men, but be careful that you do not take the day and leave out the gratitude.”
E.P. Powell

Christmas shopping started ON Thanksgiving day here in Yuma. Very sad.

I hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving. Ours was grand!

The Twelfth System said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Pat said...

I wasn't terribly thankful to be dragged away from my family table to guard stacks of merchandise from folks who swarmed me like drooling sharks.

The police have to be on site to prevent fights, theft, injury - this is fun? Really?

There really ought to be a law.