Go Figure

Well, it’s Thanksgiving Day.  Celebrated since the Civil War, Thanksgiving has become a national holiday that has evolved in meaning over the years of my lifetime, just as have many of the other holidays on the calendar.

The US Congress decided years ago that some of the holidays on the calendar would be combined, moved to Monday, or some such other thing.  Their fiddling with the holidays probably did more to secularize them and cause them to evolve into what they are today than anything else.

Memorial Day is one example.  It used to always be on May 30, but was moved to the last Monday in May in the late 1960’s by an act of Congress.  Labor Day, Columbus Day, and Washington’s birthday were also changed.  Washington’s birthday is now known as President’s Day.  The days were moved in order to provide federal employees (and by extension everyone else) with a three-day holiday.

Thankfully, they decided to leave Thanksgiving alone.  However, many times it seems that the holiday is overrun by the commercial aspects of Christmas, what with the black Friday and other related promotions.  And now black Friday starts earlier in the month for some and extends through the holiday season.  I’m not sure which I like less…the political ads or the black Friday ads!

But for those who still celebrate the original meaning of Thanksgiving at least somewhat, the holiday is a time to take a breather…to step back from the politics, the commercialism, and the crassness of what the season has become.  To remember our frailty and our reliance upon Someone greater than ourselves is in no small measure the purpose of the day.  Of course, in this society of self-reliance and individualism, it’s difficult for some to realize that they are fallible, fallen, and needy.  But it’s the truth, whether we like to admit it or not, and we would do well to take that truth to heart.

As a side note, we’re now watching the Macy Thanksgiving parade on TV.  The cast of “Cats” is performing out on the street.  Go figure what that has to do with Thanksgiving…