The forgotten holiday

Thursday marks the annual return of America's forgotten holiday: Thanksgiving. And while most Americans will consume copious amounts of fowl, mashed potatoes and green bean casserole, it seems that more people are gearing up for the start of the holiday shopping season than they are Thanksgiving's past times of football, cranberry sauce and vast amounts of alcohol.

Thanksgiving is, technically speaking, America's oldest national holiday. It came way before Independence Day was declared in 1770whatever. But more and more, the gap between Halloween and Christmas grows increasingly more dedicated to snow globes, Santas and the Coke polar bears. What happened to turkeys, cornucopias, Pilgrims and pumpkin pie? Why did the perenially cheesy Christmas ornaments appear before the July 4th overstock was off the shelves at Sears? Why is it that Thanksgiving has become the red-headed step child of national holidays, seemingly crammed between a holiday dedicated to witches and goblins and a holiday dedicated to a jolly fat man? (And don't even get me started on the vast commercialization of Christmas...I'm sure that post will come in a few months.)

I think that Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of all the ones that I celebrate. I love waking up and watching the Macy's Day Parade, eating the special breakfast that my family only eats on Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter (Eggs Benedict, fresh squeezed orange juice and this delicious, crumb-topped coffee cake), watching football all day, the smells that fill the house, setting the table, the few precious moments of silence while everyone savors those first bites of Thanksgiving finery before asking someone to pass the rolls. I love the anticipation that builds as the day approaches, and knowing that the holiday season has begun. I love that there is still more anticipation of holiday celebrations to come, because there isn't that let-down that I always feel after Christmas has come and gone.

Let's remember to celebrate and anticipate Thanksgiving this year, folks. Eat a little turkey, take a little nap and be thankful that the holiday season is truly upon us. And if all else fails, at least stuff yourself with pie and potatoes until you can barely move.