Driving through our neighborhood last week I noticed the giant Halloween skeleton in a neighbor’s front yard was wearing a Santa hat. The skeletal dog at its feet was wearing a bright red scarf. Apparently after Halloween they skipped right over Thanksgiving to get to Christmas, but that seems to be the trend everywhere.
Perhaps it’s because Thanksgiving doesn’t have any fun characters to shape into inflatables or outline in festive lights. Halloween has ghosts, goblins and skeletons. Christmas has Santa, reindeer, snow people and animated characters from holiday movies. But Thanksgiving? I’ve seen a few cartoonish turkeys, but it’s hard to have fun with pilgrims and indigenous people with so much angst about that history today.
To be honest, though, we all know the rush toward Christmas is not really about the decorations. It’s about money, and Thanksgiving just doesn’t have as much commercial punch as Halloween or Christmas. We’ll spend money on a meal with family and friends, but there are no gifts to be bought and given. There’s just the gift of our time and attention, which is priceless.
So, Thanksgiving doesn’t get the decorative flair in yards and store windows, and to be honest, I’m OK with that. Thanksgiving, for me at least, still has strong echoes of faith and religion with the emphasis on “giving thanks,” which I still associate with thanking God — through prayer — for our many blessings.
And blessings have been large in recent days. I saw the Christmas skeleton and dog as we drove home from my six-month appointment with my ENT cancer specialist. I got a great report — and a “see you in six months” — and we’re definitely thankful.
Later that afternoon, we drove to Arkansas to spend a few days on vacation with my late wife Debra’s brother and his girlfriend. Months ago they invited us to meet them on a trip they were planning, and it was an enjoyable, comfortable time. I can’t begin to describe the blessing it has been for Debra’s family to embrace LeAnn and affirm our relationship the way they have.
While we were away, some wonderful friends filled our absence by visiting LeAnn’s mother and sharing meals with her, with my mother among the guests. Both of our mothers are in remarkable health at ages 102 and 89, respectively, and still living in their homes, and we give thanks for that every day. They’ll be at our house for Thanksgiving dinner along with some friends that have become family and that will be more cause for giving thanks.
There have been smaller blessings to count as well: safe travels, good weather, a warm and dry home to return to on Saturday night, and a warm community of faith to worship with Sunday morning. And this week there has been refreshing rain, meaningful work and opportunities to serve and help others who need the basic necessities of life we too often take for granted.
So, while Christmas is scratching at the door for our attention, we’re going to stop and give Thanksgiving it’s due by giving thanks.