For some, Christmas goes all year long, for others it comes with the snow; comes the day after Thanksgiving, or the day after Halloween.
For me, Christmas makes a powerful entrance with the first snowfall of the season. Snow makes me think of Christmas. Not ribbons or tags, not packages, boxes, or bags. Snow makes me think of Hot Chocolate, and putting lights on the tree with my Mother, listening to Mannheim Steamroller, Harry Connick Jr, and Handle's Messiah. Especially Handle's Messiah. Snow makes me think "For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is Given, and the Government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called, Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." Christmas is about Family and Remembering Christ.
Now, on the matter of Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving so often gets overshadowed by Christmas.
Not only is that okay, it is a good thing.
Let me explain.
No. There is too much.
Let me sum up.
What is Thanksgiving all about? "Giving Thanks. Duh." Giving Thanks for what?
I remember celebrating Thanksgiving in elementary school. We drew pictures of turkeys using outlines of our hands and we made paper Pilgrim hats and buckles for our shoes. Thanksgiving comes from what we learn about our Separatist ancestors and their "arrival" in America.
We celebrate this group of people who came from England to exercise religious freedom. We celebrate their hardship, trials, and success. We celebrate the Goodness of God in their lives and the Goodness of God in our own.
During Thanksgiving we celebrate our ancestors and God's blessings. During Christmas we celebrate our Families and Christ.
For kicks, let me give you a list of some Thanksgiving songs all about the Goodness of God, expressing thankfulness for Christ:
For the Beauty of the Earth
Father, Thy Children to Thee Now Raise
Come, Ye Thankful People
and Prayer of Thanksgiving
( so don't even try to tell me there is no such thing as a Thanksgiving song.)
Maybe it is only natural that Thanksgiving gets overshadowed in the spirit of Christmas because the spirit of Thanksgiving and the Spirit of Christmas are the same thing. Thanksgiving and Christmas go hand in hand.
Thanksgiving and Christmas go together if we remember the real meaning of Christmas,
which meaning, I believe, is forgotten because of some developing events (i.e. Black Friday).
Black Friday led me to believe that The spirit of Christmas and Thanksgiving had been forgotten by consumerism, and my roommate and good friend, (Mr. Bah-Humbug; I hate Christmas because it is a pagan holiday; Halloween is my favorite holiday; and yes, I enjoy it when you call me Scrooge) Taylor Joel Bishop, brought up the point that every performing artist has their own Christmas album, not because they have an original song or wonderful sounding music, but because they want to make money.
His point was well taken.
It was this point that restored my faith in people. Performing artists make Christmas albums because people buy them. During the Christmas season, people want to hear Christmas Music. That is their way of celebrating. Personally, I love to Bruce Springsteen's Santa Clause is Coming to Town. It reminds me of my brother, whom I have not seen in months because he lives in Arizona.
People will always continue to celebrate
Christmas. They will celebrate it in
their own ways. Some will sing The Twelve Days of Christmas and others will sing
O Come, O Come Emmanuel. Some will recite the Nativity, and others
will recite The Night Before Christmas. Some people will celebrate be having a lesson on Christ and His Birth and Life, and some will celebrate simply be being with their families, many will do both, but everyone (Mr. Bah-Humbug included) will be celebrating Christmas.
