Christmas vs Thanksgiving

This is not really a holiday versus holiday rant but more an idea I had earlier this morning. All over Twitter and Facebook folk are getting excited about Christmas, and with only 46 days to go until the jolly man in red digs out his beard, its understandable. Afterall the majority of us love the silly season. But hold your reindeers! What about Thanksgiving? Mr Jakes began celebrating this in 2007 (mainly because I didn't want to let the Americans have all the fun), and you know what? Its been a roaring success, my family have had a wonderful time every year since.
Yes its mainly an American tradition but spending time with family whilst feasting and giving thanks for the wonderful bounty life hands us shouldn't necessarily be exclusive to our friends across the pond. Also think about this for a second: isn't a tad silly for Atheists and 'lapsed Christians' to celebrate Christmas? "Yay! Its a guy I don't believe in (supposed) birthday, lets eat a turkey and get sick on Sherry!" No offence dear readers but I find that to be plain weird.
But there is a way to not miss out on the festivities and look less shall we say 'confused'. You know whats coming right? Yup,swap Yuletide for Thanksgiving! This way you can still enjoy giving gifts and roasting birds (and getting sick on Sherry) without all that Nativity and church nonsense (nonsense to non believers of course.)
I dont know about you but it makes a great deal of sense to me. So see you all on November 22nd then, bring on the turkey! Toodle Pip for now!



Not a fake tree in sight

An Agent For The Holidays

Tomorrow it is Thanksgiving Day in America and as an eager participant of over indulgance and alcohol I shall be celebrating with gusto as if the hounds of hell are at my heel. Nevermind that I am Welsh and living in the wilds of West Wales, the turkey will be roasted, the bread sauce whipped and Jagermeister chilled to within an inch of its beautiful life.
November is usually a miserable month in Britain, with its dark early evenings and biting, cold winds so hijacking another countries holiday to brighten up a few days is a much needed boost to the chilled marrow system.
The modern Thanksgiving holiday I understand stemmed from a 1621 celebration at the Plymouth Plantation, where the Plymouth settlers held a harvest feast after a successful growing season, so it might be argued it comes from the British. And as a limey desperate for action I have taken this information as licence to celebrate on turkey flesh and alcohol.
We globally share so many holidays I am suprised we haven't latched on to this one too. Little matter regarding the real meaning as most have abandoned the spirit of other more grand holidays. Halloween has become a gore fest and Christmas long ago been insulted by greed.
Thanksgiving 'feels' like a dressed down version of Christmas from this side of the Atlantic. It is how the Silly Season should be without the silliness and without being bloated to vulgar states. We know of Thanksgiving here and some celebrate it (I cannot be the only one can I?) but we don't laden it with gifts and carols. Of course if I were to skip over the pond it would no doubt feel different but as it is right now, to a writer hammering this out from the lush, green bosom of Wales, it feels right.
Eat, drink and give thanks for Life and a bountiful harvest but forget about the tinsel and gaudy baubels. Who had the Christmas number one song, or gave the biggest gift is neither important or classy. To be blunt they serve only as further proof of how cheap a person is.
It is quite honourable to give thanks to simple things and for one will be in merriment and giving thanks in earnest. It is the only proper thing to do, and one can only hope next months festivities get restored to a more humble level. We are supposedly celebrating the birth of a Saviour afterall. Humans are ever so fallible and often get lost to real meaning and all the cards and glitter in the world won't mean a thing if we forget that.

Happy Thanksgiving all !!