Thanksgiving comes before Christmas

Boy, Thanksgiving’s turkey sure is cooked these days when it comes to competing with Christmas. The first TV advertisements for Christmas started appearing in September, and once the elections were over in early November, they just became ubiquitous. To date (Nov. 15) I have yet to see even one mention or display of Thanksgiving anywhere. Heck, Halloween gets more exposure than Thanksgiving does now. The pilgrims must be turning in their graves.

But I guess it makes more sense, or more money, to focus on Christmas. Thanksgiving is more about food, family and football while Christmas is a significant driver of our economy. Turkeys usually cost less than two dollars a pound while big-screen TVs sell into the thousands per each. Being grateful does not compare with being spendful when it comes to the GDP.

However, I think Thanksgiving deserves to be resurrected back into a strong place in our lives and culture. Thanksgiving focuses primarily on having a big meal with people you love and doing things with them that you like. Christmas always seems such a frantic, hectic time full of many obligations, especially for gift giving (I once read that heart attacks and domestic violence increase during the last half of December). Thanksgiving is all about bonding while Christmas is all about spending.

A state law should be passed that requires all schools in Washington, including public, private and charter, to always strongly recognize Thanksgiving as a time to give thanks for whatever we each may have.