This picture could be from any year in the past 50. According to friends it is this year's model. Nice to know some memories of childhood remain the same, even if the town around them has changed in countless ways.
Friday, December 20, 2013
Village Christmas Tree
This picture could be from any year in the past 50. According to friends it is this year's model. Nice to know some memories of childhood remain the same, even if the town around them has changed in countless ways.
Sunday, December 01, 2013
Whither goest Thanksgiving?
Let's be clear about one thing: Thanksgiving as I remember it is long gone. We kissed it goodbye forever when the stores began opening on Thursdays. I'm not sure what we gain by shopping early, if anything. Surely, the loss of a cultural tradition must stand for something, correct?
Yes, my friends still enjoy a game of football in the morning (Annual Turkey Bowl), watching the Macy's Parade, and grazing over large portions of food. Somethings will never be changed by an alteration in our shopping habits.
The concept of working on Thanksgiving used to be nonsensical. It was a typically American holiday that served to reinforce our ethos and way of life. To newcomers to the US, or people just visiting, there was the need for an explanation of why everybody celebrated on the 4th Thursday of the month of November. Even if the explanations were shrouded in myths they were gladly accepted because the celebration was for the same reason.
Thanksgiving for all the hoopla about how many days until Christmas, was still a day for reflection and a time to be grateful for all that had been provided for us. This seems impossible now if stores must be kept open to satisfy our unquenchable need to shop.
The point here is that it takes real people to open the stores on what was once a day that only emergency personnel worked or people who might be doing a public service by being the only shop open where you might get a bottle of milk. Even these stores were closed early so families could be together. Now it seems we regard these lives with little thought as to how they will be affected by taking a holiday away and asking them to work.
Yes, my friends still enjoy a game of football in the morning (Annual Turkey Bowl), watching the Macy's Parade, and grazing over large portions of food. Somethings will never be changed by an alteration in our shopping habits.
The concept of working on Thanksgiving used to be nonsensical. It was a typically American holiday that served to reinforce our ethos and way of life. To newcomers to the US, or people just visiting, there was the need for an explanation of why everybody celebrated on the 4th Thursday of the month of November. Even if the explanations were shrouded in myths they were gladly accepted because the celebration was for the same reason.
Thanksgiving for all the hoopla about how many days until Christmas, was still a day for reflection and a time to be grateful for all that had been provided for us. This seems impossible now if stores must be kept open to satisfy our unquenchable need to shop.
The point here is that it takes real people to open the stores on what was once a day that only emergency personnel worked or people who might be doing a public service by being the only shop open where you might get a bottle of milk. Even these stores were closed early so families could be together. Now it seems we regard these lives with little thought as to how they will be affected by taking a holiday away and asking them to work.
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