Happy Turkey Day(?)

[a.k.a. somewhat substantive lunchtime rant]

Anyone said this to you lately? I’ve heard it a lot, and frankly it bugs the crap out of me.

That’s not to say anything bad about my friends who’ve made this statement in the last couple of days. I’ll let it slide, if only because I genuinely like them.

This morning, listening to my usual sports talk radio at the gym, it was “Happy Turkey Eve!”. In an e-mail at Gresham Police Department, it was “have a great Turkey Day.” My mom and her significant other are even in on it, when during our early Thanksgiving dinner on Monday (mom works on the holiday) I was told to have a good Turkey Day.

What gives? Why are we so fixated on avoiding the correct reference?

According to dictionary.com, “thanksgiving” has several definitions. Two can be applied to the normal holiday for which so many of us get a day off.

1: fourth Thursday in November in the United States; second Monday in October in Canada; commemorates a feast held in 1621 by the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag [syn: Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving Day] (from the Princeton University Wordnet 2.0);

2. A public acknowledgment or celebration of divine goodness; also, a day set apart for religious services, specially to acknowledge the goodness of God, either in any remarkable deliverance from calamities or danger, or in the ordinary dispensation of his bounties.

Note: In the United States it is now customary for the President by proclamation to appoint annually a day (usually the last Thursday in November) of thanksgiving and praise to God for the mercies of the past year. This is an extension of the custom long prevailing in several States in which an annual Thanksgiving day has been appointed by proclamation of the governor. (from the Websters Revised Unabridged Dictionary)

Now, the first definition seems to identify exactly what the secular society of the United States means when they say “Happy Thanksgiving”. Generally speaking, it is understood by most people, thanks to the benefits of our public school educations, that our country was founded by Pilgrims from Europe who sailed across the Atlantic Ocean to escape the religious oppression of the British Crown (sorry, JLowe, I cannot join you in your monarchophilia). After settling near what’s now known as Plymouth Rock, the Pilgrims had a tough winter, reducing their numbers drastically. After the winter passed, the local natives befriended the Pilgrims and offered them assistance. As the year progressed, the Pilgrims prospered, and at the end of the year the colonists’ governor organized a feast to thank God for His provision through the year. The colonists and their Indian friends joined together and had a wonderful time. And that was the first Thanksgiving. (you can get more info here).

As time went on, the meaning of Thanksgiving changed. It was, at times, a celebration of the Pilgrims’ victory over the “heathen natives,” a celebration of the colonists’ victory over the British, and finally was ordained by Congress in 1941 as a national holiday (go here for more info). Today, our children are taught that Thanksgiving is a holiday set aside to recognize what we have, appreciate the fact that we have it, and (often) to consider how we might help others.

Now, I can see that some may have objections to the origins of Thanksgiving. Certainly, the treatment of American Indians throughout history by the people who stole their land and their heritage has been (to put it politely) objectionable. Further, people differ on religious viewpoints, and some are so violently areligous that they will go out of their way to deny the existence of holidays that have any basis in religion.

But I am of the opinion that Thanksgiving needs to be embraced. Different people with different viewpoints can look at whence their blessings came in different ways, but the fact is that everyone in America is blessed to some degree, whether it be with opportunities to achieve their dreams, or whether their dreams have, in fact, been actualized. I believe that I’ve been blessed by God, but others may just believe that they’ve taken advantage of a set of contingencies that rewards hard work. Either way, the fact is that any of us could be in a worse position than we are, and we need to take time to acknowledge that and to appreciate it and, if we believe it is appropriate, to thank God for it (never mind the fact that in many countries, the last option is no option at all). That’s what Thanksgiving is: a time to count our blessings, to not take things for granted, and to ponder the great gifts that life in America affords us. And, perhaps, to count the costs that got us here.

As a corollary, I was listening to Colin Cowherd today on ESPN Radio talking about how the NBA is drifting away from its fan-base. As an example, he cited Latrell Sprewell, who apparently told someone that the $14,000,000 he gets paid simply to dribble a ball around and shoot it into a hole wasn’t enough. And it made me consider the fact that so many people take prosperity so much for granted that we feel entitled to it, and don’t appreciate what goes right for us (instead focusing solely on how we’re getting screwed by someone, somewhere, for some reason).

Thanksgiving is essential. And I’ll be damned if I’m going to call it Turkey Day.

I mean, half the time I end up eating ham, anyway.

So, on this Thanksgiving, take a minute to acknowledge how great your life is in comparison to how it could be. Consider your blessings, regardless of derivation. And, even if just quietly in your mind, to noone in particular, say a word of thanks for the life you have.

And, finally, Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

(Of course, maybe I’m just being a jerk… Just wait until “X-mas” rears its ugly head again…)