Thanksgiving

A real holiday is fast approaching. The beautiful thing about Thanksgiving is that Corporate America has not figured out a way to co-opt it and commercialize it to death, a la Christmas and Halloween. Most retailers in America do almost half their annual sales during the Christmas season. That's because Americans buy gifts for friends, family, postmen, hair stylists, and secret lovers. They buy gifts for their pets and little babies, none of whom own a calendar and don't know what Christmas is.
 Halloween runs a close second. People spend money they should be saving for Christmas on Halloween masks, costumes, and decorations to scare small children, all to celebrate the eve of All Souls Day, when spirits are supposed to rise into heaven for some reason.
 Easter is another major holiday, though less monetary in nature. We spend a good deal of money to dress up little kids in white and pink dresses for delighted girls, and suits for reluctant boys, all of whom will outgrow them almost immediately. But it's all harmless fun designed to celebrate the rising of Christ from his tomb, after which he flew off into the heavens like Batman before comic books were invented.
 Thanksgiving is different. We all sit down and gorge ourselves on traditional foods that are guaranteed to give us dangerous amounts of cholesterol and gas, in celebration of the day the Indians taught the Pilgrims how to hunt and fish, saving their lives by fattening them up before a harsh winter. The Native Americans, who were fascinated by the Europeans arriving on ships they called "Village on Water", were soon repaid by losing their land, starving, and being introduced to disease that wiped out entire tribes. But there is no need to dwell on such uncomfortable facts. Who really cares?
 Right now, pies are baking, vegetables are being gathered, and turkeys are looking around nervously. It's a good time to sit with family members and reflect on all we have to be thankful for. All holidays have a questionable past, much like ourselves. For the moment, I raise a glass to us, the present tenants of this earth. Let's relax and enjoy it. And remember, you can never be truly happy unless you are grateful for what life has given you.