There is no war on Christmas ~ But there is the Massacre of Thanksgiving!!

As someone who works in the retail business, in a store where Christmas music has been playing for three weeks already, (and it is still two weeks before Thanksgiving) I can guarantee you there is no war on Christmas!  We have an entire half of our store completely outfitted with everything for the Christmas holiday, (we have one tiny end cap for Chanukah, too~).  The carols are playing, we are collecting “Toys for Tots” and our customers are busy buying everything from little stocking stuffers to multiple Christmas presents.  But, are there decorative turkeys, autumn leaf placemats, one pumpkin, nut, or fall decoration for sale for Thanksgiving which is next week ~ unfortunately, no.

For those in the media and the right-wing lunatics who every year proclaim to be battling a non-existent war on Christmas….what have you been doing while Thanksgiving has been completely massacred?  Why are you so upset when someone says “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas”?  There is SEPARATION of Church and State in the United States of America and not everyone who stands for the Pledge of Allegiance or fights for our country is Christian!  But, EVERY American should have the day to celebrate Thanksgiving and our pride in our country!!

Thanksgiving was always my favorite holiday.  Although the pilgrims certainly weren’t good guys…. the thought behind the holiday as it is now, giving thanks, is truly beautiful.  The smell of the turkey cooking, the anticipation of the family being together with the knowledge that we COULD be together because EACH of us had the day off, was so special!!  To have one day, one  special day to share with family and friends ~ to enjoy a lovingly prepared meal and be thankful for all we have….THAT is a beautiful gift.  But today, as with so much of what we see and hear, it seems greed has become THE strongest American virtue.  Making a profit trumps all things.  This is the worst kind of greed because it is not the greedy themselves who are forced to leave their families and go to work on this one day that used to be sacrosanct, instead it is the lowest paid of all who have to give up their holiday so those greedy CEO’s and stock market investors can lounge at home with their families while squeezing every possible penny out of  the Christmas holiday which they claim to revere and honor. 

The workers of Walmart, K-mart and Target have no choice but to lose their jobs if they elect not to work on Thanksgiving.  It’s an “all hands on deck” attitude…well, unless you work for the corporate office that is…...  These low level clerks don’t get that one day to enjoy dinner with their family as they used to back before greed became an honored trait.  Thanksgiving used to be a special day, a unique day in that almost EVERYONE had the day off,  except for essential life and death workers.  Stores were all closed.  Now, on this Thanksgiving, thousands of minimum wage workers will be standing behind the counter at your local Walmart, so you may purchase a gift that could absolutely wait until the next day.  It’s bad enough that some of us have to be at work at ridiculously early hours for Black Friday, that stores need to open at 4 or 5 AM to suck every dollar out of that made-up shopping holiday, but, okay, that’s part of the deal.  However, being forced to give up Thanksgiving itself? That’s shameful.  And, it’s shameful not only for the workers but for the others on such tight budgets that they absolutely need to go shopping on Thanksgiving to get the sale that they need to afford Christmas!  If the sale was the next day….they could stay home with their families, too!

To those “patriotic” right-wing warriors fighting a non-existent war on Christmas, yet they haven’t even mentioned the destruction of our truly American holiday of Thanksgiving, you are hypocrites!  Imagine if workers were forced to work on Christmas day?  The horror!!  Yet so many of us would work on that day voluntarily as it has no special meaning to us ~ believe it or not! Yet ALL of us, as Americans, should have one day to come together and give thanks for all the good, all the love, all the compassion and joy that we hold so dear.  Why not fight for that?  What is needed more in this country now than a day to come together as Americans, not Republicans, Democrats, Christians, NRA members, etc?  Where is the outrage at the destruction of our National Holiday of thanks?  Why doesn’t Sarah Palin write a book (.....well, put her name on a book written by someone else) on that?

Thanksgiving wasn't even given the respect of a war; it was simply decimated with no cry, no outrage, and no thought.  The humungous flag of greed waves triumphantly in the Autumn wind, with no books, no articles, no fight, we have all simply surrendered.

Thanksgiving is a warm, beautifully conceptualized holiday with meaning for every American.  We truly do have so much to be thankful for, from our freedom to push the ridiculous war on Christmas, to our more worthy desire to help and support our fellow Americans and our fellow friends around the globe.  Whether in times of special need or just day to day kindness, we are here for each other.  I am proud and grateful for those IN our government who are trying their best to do well for all of us….even those who fight so vehemently against them out of misinformation, fear and hate. 

But most of all, Thanksgiving is beautiful because it is still a day to be celebrated with respect for what we stand for as Americans.  I would hate to believe that what we now stand for is quarterly profits above all else. Thanksgiving should be a day to spend with those we love and care about, a day to appreciate all the beauty and meaning of our lives; could there be anything more important?  Can't that sale wait one more day?

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  I hope you have the day to enjoy and cherish your family and friends.  I know I am very thankful that my company is closed for the holiday, even though we are retail.  To the owners of my company, I say thank you. To my family and friends, you know I love you and I look forward to sharing the holiday weekend.  I am so thankful and so honored to have the day to appreciate life as an American and I hope to bring that gratitude to every day throughout the year.  That should be something we should all fight for ~ let’s not let this be Thanksgiving’s last stand, Thanksgiving is so much more than the kick-off of the holiday season.

Enjoy!