Sunday, November 23, 2008

I Am GRATEFUL for CHRISTMAS (and EASTER)!!!!!

So, I have heard (from many sources) that they feel that the Thanksgiving Holiday is ignored because of the Christmas hype. I understand their argument, but...I have to respectfully disagree. I see Thanksgiving as the beginning of a wonderful time of year. People are nicer, happier, and more pleasant to be around (well, most people). Thanksgiving is a time of year when people are more likely to recognize things they are thankful for, blessings they have received throughout the year, and miracles that have happened. It also is a time when people begin to recognize how important family and friends are. This is very similar if not identical to the Christmas Holiday. As with Thanksgiving, families come together, friends realize how important their friendships are (old and new), and people recognize how their lives have been blessed. The major difference I see between Christmas and Thanksgiving is the celebration of the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ.

Now, for those of you who share in the ideology that Christmas must wait until after Thanksgiving, please understand I respect your decision and this post is not meant to be demeaning or disrespectful. This post is merely an explanation as to why some people enjoy Christmas "a little too early". In my mind, Thanksgiving is a great time to allow the Christmas Spirit to begin to grow. Additionally, can you think of a more appropriate time to express gratitude for family, blessings, opportunities, protection, and above all, the birth of our Savior. The only thing I see missing is a little Easter celebration, recognizing the Atonement, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the greatest gift and miracle given to the human race!

I now step down from my soap box and give thanks to those of you who read this post. As a prize, you get to vote for your favorite Christmas song! (I know, I know...I'm so generous :)).

2 comments:

Tyler and Julia said...

Boy, you are really thoughtful aren't you? :) My biggest problem is, I believe that there are too many good Christmas songs/carols to choose just one. I can't wait for Thanksgiving, and I agree with you when you say that it's never too early to get excited about Christmas, a.k.a the most WONDERFUL time of the year!! :)

Amy said...

I totally agree! I was thinking the same thing on Sunday when my Sunday School teacher was commenting on how she didn't like them starting Christmas music so early. So, I appreciate your soapbox. :)

Quotes

"[Confucius] taught that the country which develops the finest music, the grandest poetry, and the noblest moral ideals--that is, the country with the most exalted culture--will always yield the greatest power in the world."

-Letters from the Jade Dragon Box by Gale Sears



"Who is such a reprobate as I! And yet it seems that even I am in Somebody's hand!'

-Mr. Henchard in The Mayor of Casterbridge



"...[T]he magnitude of [life] is not as to [one's] external displacements, but as to [one's] subjective experiences."

-Thomas Hardy in Tess of the d'Urbervilles





"...I have a new love for that glittering instrument, the human soul. It is a lovely and unique thing in the universe. It is always attacked and never destroyed--because 'Thou mayest.'"

-Lee in East of Eden