DON'T FORGET THANKSGIVING DAY!

“And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.” (Colossians 3:15)

On Sunday, November 1, Boston’s WODS 103.3 FM (“Oldies 103.3”) began playing nothing but Christmas music (“24 - 7!”) and will continue to play nothing but Christmas music through and including December 25. This is (I think) the 3rd year in a row that “Oldies 103.3” has begun playing solid and constant Christmas music in early November. For a number of reasons, I really dislike the practice. Some of my readers know I have mixed emotions about Christmas. While it’s supposedly the “birthday of Jesus Christ”, it’s likely Jesus Christ was actually born in the early Fall. It’s also possible He was born in the Spring. It’s VERY unlikely Jesus Christ was born in late December. While the Bible tells the story of Jesus’ birth (in both Matthew’s Gospel and Luke’s Gospel) there’s nothing in the Bible telling us to specifically celebrate Christmas. I find the whole materialistic American Christmas which puts American families into debt and under great financial stress to be A REAL TURNOFF! That said, I DO like Christmas carols very much, and I do like Christmas trees and Christmas wreaths. But November is TOO early for Christmas music and Christmas celebrating! (Remember “The 12 Days of Christmas”? The 12 Days of Christmas are actually December 25 through January 6. THAT’S when “Oldies 103.3” should be playing wall-to-wall Christmas music!)

Now, I want to write about THANKSGIVING DAY. My three favorite holidays are Thanksgiving Day, American Independence Day (July 4), and Easter Sunday. I’m sad that Thanksgiving Day seems to be MUCH less important today than it was 40, 30, or even 20 years ago. It seems to have become the forgotten holiday. It’s an excuse for a 4-day weekend and maddening Christmas shopping (mostly on the day after Thanksgiving) but that’s about it. Thanksgiving Day should be much more than that.

If you look up “Thanksgiving Day” on Wikipedia, you’ll learn some interesting facts. For one thing, I learned that “the earliest attested Thanksgiving celebration was on September 8, 1565 in what is now Saint Augustine, Florida”. I honestly didn’t know that. Of course, being a New Englander, I DID know that, “the traditional ‘first Thanksgiving’ is venerated as having occurred at the site of Plymouth Plantation, in 1621.”

I know Canada celebrates Thanksgiving Day, but their Thanksgiving Day is our Columbus Day...the 2nd Monday of October. Canadians make that whole 3-day weekend Thanksgiving weekend, and may have their big Turkey dinner anytime during that weekend...for many it’s commonly held on the Sunday of that weekend. I also learned that the origin of Canada’s Thanksgiving Day is the “loyalists”...the New Englanders who were loyal to the British Crown and who moved to the Canadian maritime provinces at the time of the American Revolution. They brought the custom of Thanksgiving Day with them from America. I also read that in Canada, Thanksgiving Day used to be celebrated in early November, and the date was finally settled as the 2nd Monday of October in the late 1950s.

In America, Thanksgiving Day began to be regularly celebrated on the last Thursday of November in 1863, although it had been informally and unofficially celebrated for decades and decades before that. It did not become a federal holiday until 1941, when President Roosevelt fixed the date as the FOURTH Thursday in November (not necessarily the last Thursday) to help extend the Christmas shopping season.

I love Thanksgiving Day! I love the high school football games in the morning. I usually attend the Marian High School game whether its home or away. I love that turkey dinner! I love the desserts, too! I love just relaxing on Thanksgiving evening in front of the T.V. set. (If you think I make my wife do all the work on Thanksgiving, I don’t! She does most of the cooking on Thanksgiving and I do most of the cleanup!) I also love the idea of taking a day to thank God for His many blessings! I’ve visited rural Haiti several times and seen what third world poverty looks like. Believe me, in America, even the poor people are rich! We have much to be thankful for. Here in Framingham, the Town has an annual Thanksgiving service every Tuesday night before Thanksgiving. The local clergy and many local laypeople participate in it. This year’s service is on Tuesday, November 24 at 7:30 at Plymouth Church U.C.C. in Framingham Centre. I think it would be great if this year’s service is SO packed out we’ll have to turn people away and think of a larger venue for next year! If you’re a Framingham resident, I hope you’ll mark that Thanksgiving service on your calendar and plan to attend.

AND, let’s swim against the tide that’s telling us that November is the time to focus on Christmas and to buy Christmas presents. Let’s take back November and let’s take back Thanksgiving Day! Up to and including November 26 (This year’s Thanksgiving date) I plan to write as a salutation on my e-mails and U.S. mail letters: “It’s November! Have a Happy Thanksgiving Day!”

I hope you’ll do the same! Let’s make MORE of Thanksgiving Day this year!
Don’t forget about Thanksgiving Day!