Thanksgiving: the forgotten holiday

(U-WIRE) BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Once upon a time when I was a little girl I remember that there was a holiday between Halloween and Christmas. I think it might have had something to do with Native Americans, Pilgrims and turkey. If you were to walk into a store right now, you would think that time had sped up and it was Christmas. Halloween day I went to a store and walked down an aisle of Christmas cards and ornaments. I thought to myself, wait, isn't today Halloween? I should be wanting to puke at the sight of another pumpkin, not breaking into a chorus of "White Christmas."

I have worked retail at Christmastime, and I know what an important time of year it is for retail outlets, but why does Thanksgiving have to be skipped in the process? It isn't a very marketable holiday, but that's why I like it. Thanksgiving isn't about how many presents one receives, it is about coming together as a family or group of people, sharing a meal and giving thanks for what you have. It encompasses all religions and races of people. It is a celebration of our country.

I am the youngest of eight children, and it is sometimes hard for my entire family to get together although we all live in the same general area. All my brothers and sisters are married and have children, so finding a place for all of us is hard, not to mention finding room for my aunts, uncles and cousins. But that is what Thanksgiving is all about. What would it be like not having to inch your way through a maze of relatives, just to get into the next room?

I knew I had finally become an adult when a spot was made for me at the big table a few years ago. I had no idea what to do with myself at a real table, in a real chair, instead of delicately balancing my plate on a card table that would shift to one side or the other when someone lifted their elbows. No wonder the adults had kept this Shangri-La to themselves. Now I am the recipient of the same evil glances from my nieces and nephews that I used to give my brothers and sisters. This evolution is just another part of the holiday.

Thanksgiving is also about seeing all of the distant relations you haven't seen since the last holiday season. Trying to come up with new and thoughtful answers to the same question that each one asks you 50 times, the incessant "how is school going?" Yes, you would like to stand on the dinner table and yell over the dull roar that you are fine and school is going well. And no, you would not like to be set up with your aunt's co-worker's cousin's son, even though you are sure he is a very nice boy. But instead you smile and answer all the same questions again and again, and have a piece of pumpkin pie.

Thanksgiving is about observing all the quirks of your family and loving them anyway. It's about hearing all the same stories and listening to some new ones. This time shouldn't be forgotten in the rush to finish all your Christmas shopping. Thanksgiving is just as important as Christmas, maybe more so. This holiday is specifically about family and there are no presents for just showing up. It's a time to laugh, cringe, eat till you feel sick, and catch up with all the people you haven't seen since last Thanksgiving.So have fun, and don't get so caught up in Christmas that you forget about the holiday that comes before it.