What Thanksgiving Is Really About

Thanksgiving is a day to give thanks.  We gather our family at the table to stuff our faces, to watch our uncle spill everything he touches, and to hear our grandma tell the stories of which only she knows what she is talking about.  Before we know it, we are getting dressed, filling up our cars with gas, and ready to celebrate Thanksgiving the right way; by finding the best deals on pointless items to buy for ourselves.  Next thing we know, we are at the mall pushing our way through the wild crowd fending for ourselves. 

Walking through the mall is like trying to go against the current of the Amazon River.  The only way to get through is to pretend that we are football players heading for the end zone in the super bowl.  We push through the crowd to get to the sales we are so thankful for on this special day because we want is that special blanket with sleeves because it’s now only $15.99.  Hours later, with our arms full of pointless items, we head toward the parking lot.

The parking lot is like a maze we have to get through.  When we find our car, and maybe even the people we came with, is when we truly give thanks on this Thanksgiving Day. We have made it out of the mall alive!  Later that night, we are back at the house ready for bed, we come to realize the table is still filled with leftover turkey and stuffing, grandpa is still shoveling food into his mouth, our uncle is sitting in a pool of  gravy on the white carpeting, and grandma is still sitting in the same spot telling her stories.  We come to realize we have completely missed the Thanksgiving experience we used to cherish.  But, hey, we found some really good sales and got a lot of really pointless, but cool stuff!  Isn’t that what Thanksgiving is all about?