Missing: Thanksgiving

*Please note that all thoughts and feelings in this post are solely mine.  They are in no way intended to offend or hurt anyone, especially friends and family.

Has anyone else noticed that Thanksgiving seems to be the missing holiday?  Maybe it's just me.  It's bad enough that the Christmas decorations start appearing on the shelves the same time as Halloween costumes. The minute Halloween is over, BAM!  All the shelves are wiped clean, Christmas stuff goes up, Christmas decorations are hung in the stores and around town, and Christmas music is playing on the radio.  I was in the mall the other day buying pants for the girls and Santa is already set up.  There wasn't one person standing in line and by the slouching, yawning Santa that I saw he had not Ho Ho Hoed all day long.  Must we fast forward everything?  Are we really that impatient?  It almost seems that people use Thanksgiving as a day to carb up before getting up at an ungodly hour to race through the stores spending money that don't have for Black Friday.  It makes me shake my head.

Thanksgiving is very important to me.  I love having lots of people in my house eating, talking, watching football, and just relaxing.  When I was growing up Thanksgiving was always a lot of fun.  It was the one holiday that all the relatives came.  I'm from a large extended family on both sides and Aunts, Uncles, and cousin came from all over.  We would go to my paternal grandparents house and no matter how small the house was there was always room for everyone.  It was a loud holiday (at least until after we ate) with kids running around, pots and pans banging in the kitchen and any other room that we needed to cook in, dominoes were banging at the kitchen table, lots of loud talking and the high screeching whistle of at least 6 hearing aids.  It was awesome!  The best was when my grandmother would sneak away from the cooking and come outside and play whiffle ball with us kids.  She was great and a vicious game player.  There was no letting the kids win. I miss that and wish that I had the same to offer to my girls.  But we do what we can to show them the importance and meaning to all holidays and make them as fun and memorable as possible.

I am disheartened when scrolling through my facebook and instagram feeds and I see that people have already put up their Christmas trees.  I'm glad they enjoy Christmas that much but it's not for me.  I want to celebrate Thanksgiving. I want to enjoy the time with my family.  The girls help me with the cooking and baking which gives me the opportunity to share family recipes with them and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

This year will be a very quiet Thanksgiving for us.  All of our friends here have plans, family is just too far away, and my husband will be re cooperating from knee surgery that takes place just two days before.    But it will be fun and special and when all the turkey has been eaten and the first of December rolls around then I will spread all the Christmas cheer I can find but until then I will set my sites on Thanksgiving.