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In the United States, thanksgiving is practiced every year on the last Thursday in the month of November. It is a nationally recognized holiday where families come together and are supposed to be in an appreciative frame of mind. Most times, the essence behind Thanksgiving Day may be watered down, and as such it becomes just a day to consume turkey – the day one is automatically expected to dine and party.
Some organizations around the country do a good job of trying to re-tune people’s awareness of the reason behind thanksgiving either through public service announcements or by word-of-mouth. It is undoubtedly essential that people are reminded because we all tend to forget things very easily every now and then.
So why is thanksgiving (or just the act of giving thanks or saying “thank you”) really important? Is this attitude just an every fourth Thursday in November activity or should it be a daily exercise?
About Giving Thanks
The act of giving thanks does a couple of things. Some are already evident in the points above. The act of giving thanks does the following:
It Ascribes Honor
Thanksgiving is about giving honor to whom honor is due. If I do something nice for someone and they thank me, by them showing appreciation and gratitude to me I feel honored – I know because I usually get that good feeling. It gives me the impression that taking the steps to do the deed wasn’t a wasted or worthless effort. Thus, whenever we are in a position to thank others we should always take advantage of it.
It Creates Fellowship
Since the beginning of the world, one of the best ways to enjoy fellowship has always been through acts of merriment. When people are happy there’s a merry party. When people are appreciated/ honored they throw parties so others can share in the honor. Wining and dining is a very big part of merriment, and having fellowship with others. The abundance of food, drink and music tends to put people in a relaxed mode to enjoy each others company. This is why family members and friends travel across states to be with each other and “fellowship” with each other. The fellowship of thanksgiving by oneself is never really that grand!
Fosters Relationships
Giving thanks ensures that positive interactions between the giver and the receiver remain fostered. When this happens it ensures that the door remains open to either be on the receiving end, or giving end in some cases. Also, because it is a form of fellowship, it also fosters relationship provided that people do not come together to quarrel or pick fights within the group instead of having fun.
It Is a Form of Sacrifice
Webster’s dictionary partly defines sacrifice as, “an act of offering to a deity something precious”. Appreciation and gratitude in this day and age is becoming hard to come by. It is becoming harder to be thankful for little things since the eyes are caught on bigger things. It is becoming harder to be thankful as some things are beginning to appear as rights instead as privileges. As I stated in a previous post, in a world as vast as ours, one man’s right could very well be another man’s privilege.
Reduces Tension
The act of giving thanks can reduce tension. Appreciation tends to reduce tension. If Alice has been upset at Bob for years or months and eventually they meet up and all Bob does is say “thank you” to every forced and unforced gesture by Alice, and shows other forms of appreciation such as praise or respect, eventually it becomes hard for Alice to be upset at someone who has made efforts to recognize and appreciate her.
Giving Thanks by Giving Back
Finally, thanksgiving is great. Everyone should all have something they are thankful for this week, and any other week they are opportune to be a part of! Some people that began this year are no longer around, some people that had jobs are now without, and some people that were healthy are no longer healthy. It is easier to be thankful when one appreciates the little things and are not only stuck on the “big ticket” items. These grandiose items usually lose value quickly when the “little” things are in jeopardy.
So give back by giving thanks, and give thanks by giving back. Many are not where you are and may never get to where you are. You may not need help, but others do. Give them the opportunity to appreciate you. Happy Thanksgiving!
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One Response to “Thanksgiving Or Cold Turkey?!”
By Anon on Dec 8, 2008 | Reply
I think i will need to come up with another date as my own personal Thanksgiving date. Because honestly, Thanksgiving (and pretty much every other holiday) has been commercialized to be all about Turkey/eating and Shopping (Black Friday..etc). So it’s pretty difficult to get into the mindset of being thankful when for a week or two leading up to the date, everyone is asking what & where you’ll be eating.