This blog article will date me but with the rapidly graying
of the hair that is left on my head, weakening eye sight and achy bones, why
deny the fact that I am aging? I grew up
in a different world when it came to the holiday season. I suppose that is why I am a ‘holiday purist.’ I believe in taking them one at a time.
When I had graduated high school in 1977, I worked two
jobs. I was an apprentice with Berkley Repertory
Theater and a full time stock clerk at J. C. Penny. Both were great entry level jobs. I didn’t go to college right out of the shoot
but rather hit life head on. Learning to
pay rent, cooking for myself, the whole nine yards.
At JC Penny, I was on the crew that was selected to set up
all the Christmas decorations. So what
you may wonder? Well, the so what was I
had to come in on the morning of what is now called “Black Friday” at 3 am in
the store to set up the decorations.
That is how old school I am when it comes to all of this. We opened an hour earlier that day, at 8 am.
There was no confusion back then. Each holiday had a specific purpose and there
was general focus. We celebrated
Thanksgiving together as families. Then
we pulled out the decorations and went into the Christmas season.
Lines are blurred across the board now days. It’s the effects that post modernism and the
push by the merchandisers that has whittled down to the masses. We now associate Thanksgiving with that day
in the way of all the ‘hot deals’. We
are encouraged to get our running shoes on and put on our pushing gloves as we
all head to the malls and box stores to find the great days now available on
Thanksgiving evening.
It all greatly saddens me and is actually troubling to me on
so many levels. If I speak out against
it I get the label ‘Grinch’ stuck to my forehead.
Recently the popular late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel
ran a satirical piece in which he was mocking the media across the country who
was trying to introduce the term “Brown Thursday”. He mockingly said it already has name, its
called Thanksgiving.
I will always be a holdout for Thanksgiving. I have so much to be thankful for in my life
its worth at least taking one day, brushing off all the other holiday hype and
be singled focused.
The Christmas lights and tree go up the next day. As it should be.
Happy Thanksgiving to all of my readers and friends.
