It was November 1st and I was in Target. My wife, Paige, was looking for some Thanksgiving decorations for our dining table. But we noticed rather quickly that the Halloween merchandise that was being taken down or moved to the Clearance section, was being replaced with Christmas decorations. No fall decorations anywhere.The other day I was driving through my neighorhood and noticed at least 3 families putting Christmas lights on their houses.
Within the last week or so, I realized that the radio, and most large retail stores, are all playing Christmas music.
It's the middle of November. Have we simply forgot Thanksgiving? There's a song sung by country music star Faith Hill called "Where Are You Christmas?". Well, I would like to sing a song called, "Where Are You Thanksgiving?"
As much as I enjoy the holiday season--and admitedly, Christmas in particular--I can't help but feel bad for the Thanksgiving holiday. I mean, do people even consider the importance of this holiday anymore? What about the those Pilgrims (do I dare say "Puritans"?) who risked everything by leaving England and coming to the New World for the sake of religious freedom? What about the Indians who welcomed the Pilgrims and with whom the Pilgrims established friendship? What about the glorious good news of Jesus Christ which the Pilgrims brought with them to New England? And what about the Pilgrim's gratefulness to the God of the Bible? These things are what Thanksgiving is about.
And all of this talk begs the question: Who's to blame for shoving Thanksgiving into the holiday broom closet?
My best guess would be that we have the retailers to blame. Stores which sell Halloween items from July 5th to October 31st, then Christmas decor from November 1st to December 25th pay little respect to Thanksgiving. It's bad enough that many modern history textbooks pervert the true meaning of Thanksgiving from the Pilgrims thanking God, to the Pilgrims thanking the Indians. But now, it seems to me that Thanksgiving is dwindling to a blip on the yearly holiday radar.
Let this not be the case for you and yours this Thanksgiving! Give thanks to God for your freedom. Give thanks to God for the Puritan Pilgrims. And give thanks to God for His abounding mercies to this fallen race.
Remember the Mayflower!
