Be Thankful

Halloween had come and passed. So what is the next holiday everyone is excited about? Christmas. Thanksgiving is a weird in-between when fall is browner and no one is very excited. The food is great, but our family usually has the same stuff a month later with less of a focus on turkey. Some people wait to put out Christmas decorations until after the holiday, but I know the obnoxious tunes and stampedes for discounted electronics are right around the corner.

It seems ironic to give thanks for what you have, then immediately buy stuff no one needs the next day. Don’t get me wrong, there are things I love about Christmas. The food, the family and the snow are all welcome. Not before late November. What I can’t stand is the consumer culture which kills people and my soul each year. Amazon and other online retailers literally manufactured a holiday to make more money. Cyber Monday is great if you need to update things or get a present you held off on. It shouldn’t be such a shit show to drive sales. Need proof? At least one person dies each year over a TV or some other junk at a Walmart.

I think on reason some people turn into a scrooge around the holidays is because of what the time has come to mean. The religious significance is great and I’ll sing silent night, but the need for stuff and constant marketing put ware people down. I’m thankful for thanksgiving. It comes with a nice break and I can spend time thinking about what really matters in my life before I go through two months of jingle bells and Mariah Carey.