Thanksgiving - the Forgotten Holiday

In this economically driven culture, Thanksgiving is often overlooked as a holiday.  Christmas decorations have been out for so long (since July 5th at one local store here).  The Black Friday sales are being pushed more than Thanksgiving itself. 

Gone are the days of stores being closed on Holidays.  Growing up, I remember stores being closed on holidays.  I remember the excitement of decorating for EACH holiday - taking down the Halloween decorations to put up the Thanksgiving decorations.  Only AFTER Thanksgiving did the Christmas decorations come out.  We took a day as a family and hunted down the perfect live Christmas tree.

As an elementary music teacher, I have a favorite memory of a kindergarten class preparing for Thanksgiving.  We learned songs and made a pretend feast and set our pretend table.  We had such a sweet and touching time together around our pretend table.  The sad thing was I could tell many of these children had never experienced a family meal like that.

Don't let Thanksgiving be a forgotten holiday.  Take time to count your blessings.  Tell your family and friends how much you love them.

What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving?