THANKSGIVING OBSERVATIONS & REFLECTIONS

Thanksgiving will arrive during this week ahead, then we can really get into preparing for the next holiday.   What seems to be happening in recent years is that we're all in such a rush that we start pushing for the holiday that comes after the one we haven't even yet celebrated.

In fact, this year I started seeing promotions for Christmas before we even had Halloween the end of October, much less Thanksgiving the end of November.  I don't hear such early promotion of Hanukkah or any other holidays, especially those with religious emphasis, occurring during that time.

Halloween this year came and went as Christmas promotion became even stronger -- and we still hadn't had Thanksgiving yet!

Well, finally Thanksgiving will be here this week, so we can hardly wait to finally throw ourselves into really, major Christmas promotion, or -- wait a minute -- are we going to skip ahead to New Year's?

I remember my childhood and think about all the little children today.  When I was young Christmas was never promoted until the day after Thanksgiving.   Even then, I thought the time to wait was so-o-o very, very, lo-n-g-g -- I can only imagine how children today must feel -- waiting ... waiting ... waiting ... when is Santa coming?

I checked back to some of my old posts in which I wrote about Thanksgiving.  I typed "Thanksgiving" in that little search box in the upper left-hand corner of this screen on my blog and amazingly to me there were ten blog posts that came up.  I probably mentioned Thanksgiving within other posts most years, too.

Reviewing those ten posts, one, especially, elicited a mixture of feelings for me -- that Thanksgiving was the first one I remembered describing what occurred that year, about 7 months after my husband's death in 2006.  I wrote about my deliberately choosing to go alone to a restaurant as I wanted to know how I would feel.  The piece entitled "Adventure Alone on Thanksgiving" gave an account of what turned out to be a rather unusual experience.

I also wrote one year about a Thanksgiving controversy in our town over our school children's Indians and the Pilgrims tradition.  Another year, I suggested we should move the date of when we celebrate Thanksgiving -- seemed like a viable possibility at the time.

I've shared Thanksgiving memories.  I've written about how I've celebrated the day virtually with my family long before this pandemic which I likely will be doing again this year.  Generally, my Thanksgiving posts have just been a potpourri of thoughts, memories, and experiences.  I invite you to read any of them that might be of interest.

As I write this, I have just experienced an evening of viewing listening to Great Performances on one of my four antenna accessible Public Broadcasting Stations (PBS) TV channels -- a night of intoxicating music and am in a very reflective mood.  

There was the centennial celebration of the landmark Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra.  They performed "La Valse" by Ravel, Stravinsky's "The Firebird" (a special favorite of mine) and more led by three renowned LA Phil conductors: current Music and Artistic director Gustavo Dudamel, Zubin Mehta and Esa-Pekka Salonen.  Then, "From Space I Saw Earth" was conducted by those three.

I think of Thanksgivings past, a house filled with laughter, attracting aromas drawing one and all of a variety of ages to a dinner table over-flowing with delicious food and beverage.  That was then, this is now.

May you enjoy every moment of this Thanksgiving season -- that special day you experience this year, the memories you have from yesteryear and look forward to the ones you'll form in the coming year(s).  

We may want to take a few moments to count our blessings -- to think for what we can be thankful.  

Diana Krall sings "Counting My Blessings"

 

This year, as every year, I wish each of you a very happy Thanksgiving.

Perhaps you have a special Thanksgiving memory, thought, or want to share here this year's plans.