I’ll readily admit that composing a narrative about the holidays is no easy task. While readers may think the holidays provide an abundance of topics and descriptive details, writers struggle to capture an original concept regarding the holidays. What can possibly be written about Thanksgiving that hasn’t been penned before? There’s always the traditional Thanksgiving feast, but I’m fairly confident that bird has been roasted in every language and dialect. There are always the long-anticipated football games, but touchdown victory dances with inflamed egos are not justly captivated in printed text. There’s always “the counting of blessings”, but this list should be written, revised, and amended all year, not just on Thanksgiving.
As I review my list of Thanksgiving topics: feast, football, and blessings, I feel that none of these subjects fully epitomizes the holiday of Thanksgiving for me. Food is not a priority for me; it hasn’t been for the last six years. I have the luxury of having Thanksgiving dinner any day of the year—preparation time: 1 minute. Dinner consists of one six-ounce can, one glass, and one wild imagination—bon appetit. As for football, I know enough to hold my own in a discussion, but as with food, football is not a priority either. I can enjoy a good game and even get excited, but I won’t hesitate to call myself a “fair-weather fan”. And finally I come to blessings… blessings are gifts to be received and shared. Without blessings, there would be no Thanksgiving.
The simple truth of Thanksgiving is found in the word itself: “thanks for the giving” and “giving thanks”. It’s in the word that I find the basic heart of Thanksgiving; the entire holiday can be defined and summarized within its own name. Thanksgiving isn’t about how much food can be consumed in one day; Thanksgiving isn’t about the latest, unbelievable touchdown; Thanksgiving isn’t even about trying to make the “counting blessings” list longer than last year. Thanksgiving in its barest form is a season to be thankful to God for the gifts received and to give Him thanks for the gifts to share.
As like any other year, I’ll attend the feast; I’ll watch the football; I’ll count my blessings, and it will be an amazing day celebrating with family and friends… for I know in my heart that Thanksgiving in its barest form is a season, lasting far beyond the turkey, stuffing, and sweet potatoes!
