Suldog is leading the charge again, among those of us who celebrate Thanksgiving in November, to remember not to skip over this hallowed and august celebration before barreling our way into the madness that is the end of the year holidays of consumption.
Too many stores are trampling tradition and refusing their employees the dignity of a day to celebrate with their families, all in the name of chasing a few dollars which research has shown only siphon off Black Friday profits, not adding to them. Yes, really, opening on Thanksgiving Day itself doesn't bring store profits up, it just spreads the same amount of spending over two days.
No, i will not be shopping on Thanksgiving, nor will i be shopping on Black Friday. We have enough stuff in our house, anyway, and most of our gifts are home baked or very simple ones for family and close friends. This year, to keep them from losing the last of my tools, i think all of my kids will get their own small tool set. Perhaps then i can hide mine well enough that it will stay together.
Back to the subject at hand, i do not care how many tool sets are on sale only on Thanksgiving Day or Black Friday, i will find others on different days. While i understand that hospital workers, and some plant engineers, and people who keep our electricity flowing, our newspapers printing, and our convenience stores open will have to work, there's no reason most retail workers shouldn't have a day to enjoy and be thankful without having to go to work to sell stuff to people so greedy they can't wait one more day.
When i was young, i remember the grocery stores were open for a few hours in the morning only on Thanksgiving, so their own employees could go home and have an afternoon with their families. Grandpa was always called to the hospital, too -- he delivered babies, and they don't read calendars. Everything else was closed. That's what i miss, that you knew what the day was for, and you celebrated it that way.
The times they are a-changing, it is true, and in some things, for the better. In this tendency to play into the greedy season before we even have a chance to wipe the gravy from our lips, i think it's for the worse.
If you have the misfortune to have to work retail on Thanksgiving, you won't be seeing me. You are welcome.
Today is:
Anniversary of Moquegua City -- Peru (founded this date in 1541)
Banquet for Monkeys / Monkey Buffet Festival -- Khmer Ruins of Lop Buri, Thailand (about 3,000 monkeys are served lunch while humans get to watch; some describe it as a riot but without the police)
Cat-Napping Convention -- Fairy Calendar
Day Sacred to Proserpina -- Ancient Roman Calendar (also Persephone, of the Greeks, the Wheel goddess of the Underworld, often associated with St. Catherine; see below)
Evacuation Day -- 19th Century New York City (withdrawal of British troops in 1783)
Hari Guru -- Indonesia (Teacher's Day)
International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women -- UN
International Hat Day -- www.internationalhatday.com
Mangé Yam -- Haiti (fete de la moisson; a yam harvest festival)
National Day -- Bosnia and Herzegovina (commemorates the 1943 declaration of statehood within Yugoslavia)
National Don't Utter A Word Day -- internet generated, and variously listed as the 25th of November, February, or May; pick one if you want
National Parfait Day
Persephone Day (a/k/a Kore) -- Ancient Greek Calendar (celebration of her as wheel goddess of the underworld; date approximate, but she is often associated with St. Catherine; see below)
Saint Catherine of Alexandria's Day -- of the Catherine Wheel, sometimes associated with the Wheel of Karma and the Hindu Kali; one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers (Patron of apologists, archivists, attorneys, barristers, craftsmen who work with wheels of any sort, dying people, educators, girls, jurists, knife grinders and sharpeners, lawyers, librarians, libraries, maidens, mechanics, millers, nurses, old maids, philosophers, potters, preachers, scholars, schoolchildren, scribes, secretaries, spinners, spinsters, stenographers, students, tanners, teachers, theologians, turners, University of Paris, unmarried girls, and wheelwrights; Aalsum, Netherlands; Bertinoro, Italy; Camerata Picena, Italy; Dumaguete, Philippines; Heidesheim am Rhein, Germany; Kuldiga, Latvia; Mähring, Germany; Saint Catharines, Ontario; Zejtun, Malta; Zurrieq, Malta) related observance
Women's Merrymaking Day -- Women go 'Cath'rining' and have a good time (in some places, especially France, women may propose marriage on this day)
Shopping Reminder Day -- exactly a month until Christmas
Srefidensi -- Suriname (Republic Day/Independence Day)
Statehood Day -- FBiH, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Strange Names Day -- in honor of all the celebrity -- and other -- kids with "unique" names; sponsored the last Tuesday in November by Marlar in the Morning at 101QFL in Rockford, IL, US
Vajiravudh Day -- Thailand
White Ribbon Day -- International (if you know a victim of violence, help break their silence! because domestic violence affects all of society)
Birthdays Today:
Barbara and Jenna Bush, 1981
Jerry Ferrara, 1979
Donovan McNabb, 1976
Eddie Steeples, 1973
Christina Applegate, 1971
Jill Hennessy, 1968
Cris Carter, 1965
Amy Grant, 1960
John F. Kennedy, Jr., 1960
Bucky Dent, 1951
John Larroquette, 1947
Ben Stein, 1944
Joe Jackson Gibbs, 1940
Lenny Moore, 1933
Paul Desmond, 1924
Ricardo Montalban, 1920
Joe DiMaggio, 1914
Solanus Casey, 1870
Carry Nation, 1846
Karl F. Benz, 1844
Andrew Carnegie, 1835
Today in History:
A tsunami, caused by the earthquake in the Tyrrhenian Sea, devastates Naples (Italy) and the Maritime Republic of Amalfi, among other places, 1343
The siege of Granada, the last Moorish stronghold in Spain, begins, 1491
A deadly earthquake rocks Shemakha, in the Caucasus, killing 80,000 people, 1667
The Great Storm of 1703, the greatest windstorm ever recorded in the southern part of Great Britain, reaches its peak intensity which it maintains through November 27. Winds gust up to 120 mph, and 9,000 people died, 1703
First English patent granted to an American, for processing corn, 1715
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is founded, 1758
Farmer's Almanac first published, 1792
The Greek frigate Hellas arrives in Nafplion to become the first flagship of the Hellenic Navy, 1826
A cyclone slams India with high winds and a 40 foot storm surge, destroying the port city of Coringa (never to be entirely rebuilt again); the storm wave sweeps inland, taking with it 20,000 ships and thousands of people. An estimated 300,000 deaths result from the disaster, 1839
Alfred Nobel patents dynamite, 1867
John B Meyenberg of St Louis patents evaporated milk, 1884
American College of Surgeons incorporates in Springield, Illinois, 1912
First Thanksgiving Day Parade is held in Philadelphia, 1920
690 earthquake shocks recorded in 1 day in Ito, Japan, 1930
The first Soviet liquid fuel rocket attains altitude of 261' (80m), 1933
Woody Woodpecker debuts with release of Walter Lantz's "Knock Knock", 1940
New Zealand ratifies the Statute of Westminster and thus becomes independent of legislative control by the United Kingdom, 1947
Agatha Christie's murder-mystery play The Mousetrap opens at the Ambassadors Theatre in London later becoming the longest continuously-running play in history, 1952
The Minneapolis Thanksgiving Day Fire destroys an entire city block, 1982
The United Nations establishes the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women to commemorate the murder of three Mirabal Sisters for resistance against the Rafael Trujillo dictatorship in Dominican Republic, 1999
Powerful storm brings 3 years worth of rain in 4 hours to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, sparking terrible floods, 2009
And there's a scientifically valid reason why it should!
Yes, Suldog is leading the charge again, and i thank him, because it's the right thing to do.
When you think of the end of the year holidays, what comes to mind? For me, it's often a song, including the one with the line, "It's the most wonderful time of the year!"
What is supposed to make it so wonderful, so joyous, so special? Time with family and friends, of course, to begin. Parties and games and fun, to continue. Let's not forget that we are all supposed to be happy at this time of year, getting things we've been longing for that will make us happy.
Unfortunately, scientifically speaking, it doesn't work.
We think that by getting stuff, we will be happy. So, why are we still wanting more stuff? If getting stuff made us happy, how come it didn't work last year and/or how come last year's stuff isn't still doing the trick?
All the research is pointing to the fact that getting doesn't make us happy, giving does, and that includes giving thanks. Even more research is showing that there is a direct correlation between a happy and joyful life and being grateful and thankful.
In one experiment i heard about, people were given $5 and one group was told to go get themselves something with it. The second group was told to buy something and surprise someone else with it. Both then rated how happy it made them feel.
The second group was the happier group. This shows that money brings happiness when you are giving it, not just always receiving, or spending on yourself.
In another experiment, some people were asked to write down five things for which they were grateful every day for a month. Others were asked to write down their hassles and problems instead. Guess who was the happier group at the end of the experiment?
The fact is, the gimme, gimme, gimme greed of running over Thanksgiving is a huge rush to get to the holidays beyond will not make this the most wonderful time of your year. It will make it the most stressed and miserable.
If, instead, we take the time out, individually, as families, and as a nation, to be thankful for what we already have, we will enter the season of joy with more calm and happiness. We will be ready to give and not just get. We will be able to have joy at a time when there used to be so much stress.
Now, if you are a person who shops a little bit all year long, getting things for people as you find the right item, making sure you can fit all your loved ones into your budget, go right ahead. You are probably a person who takes time out for Thanksgiving anyway, because you are not a messy and disorganized person like me.
The rest of us, though, should try the experiment. Pause in the rush toward ending the year and be grateful. Count your blessings, among which is living in a nation where there is such a holiday as Thanksgiving, meaning that the underlying principle of being grateful for what we have is understood.
Stop and smell the turkey and gravy (or, in the case of us vegans, the veggie burgers) and pause for a time to be thankful. Spend a day telling your family how grateful you are for them, remembering all of your blessings, and laughing once again at Uncle Joe, who always falls asleep on the couch watching football and then snores so loudly that he scares Aunt Mabel's yip yip dog.
Take time out to be thankful, and you will make the upcoming season the most wonderful time of your year.
Try to practice Thanksgiving Comes First, and prove me wrong, i dare you.
Today is:
A Community Affair -- Menomonee Falls, WI, US (country lunch, arts, crafts, and collectibles, quilt raffle, and more)
Adai Caddo Indian Nation Pow Wow -- Robeline, LA, US
Armilustrium -- Ancient Roman Calendar (festival of Mars)
Autumn Historic Folklife Festival -- Hannibal, MO, US (Tom Sawyer's hometown celebrates the heritage and traditions of the 1800s; through tomorrow)
Bettara-Ichi -- Ebisu Shrine, Tokyo, Japan (Pickle Market Fair, enjoy the pickled radishes, a specialty; through tomorrow)
Boun Ok Phansa -- Laos (Buddhist Lent Ends; a festival is celebrated, with hundreds of decoroated candle-lit floats, made of paper, set adrift in the rivers)
Bridge Day -- New River Gorge Bridge, Fayetteville, WV, US (world's biggest extreme sports event)
Constitution Day -- Niue
Deutsch Country Days -- Marthasville, MO, US (authentic recreation of early German life in Missouri; through tomorrow)
Dita e Lumturimit te Nene Terezes -- Albania (Mother Teresa Day)
Evaluate Your Life Day -- a day to make sure your life is heading where you want, and course correct if it isn't; sponsored by Wellcat Holidays
Greasy Spoon Day -- internet generated, a day to go revel in the love of your favorite greasy spoon diner
International Human Rights Day -- Turks and Caicos Islands
Leif Ericson Day Celebration -- Philadelphia, PA, US (seeking to both celebrate the first European to land in the New World and promulgate a realistic historic image of the Viking people)
Missouri Day Festival -- Trenton, MO, US (parade, baby show, flea market, entertainment, and fun; through tomorrow)
Monster Mash Day -- Bogue Falaya Park, Covington, LA, US (annual fundraiser for the St. Tammany Parish Hospital Parenting Center, with a day of fun for everyone)
Nagoya Festival -- Nagoya, Japan (biggest festival in the city; through tomorrow)
National Seafood Bisque Day
Old Farmers Day -- Loranger, LA, US (through tomorrow; learn how farmers used to live)
Quincy Preserves Fall Architectural Tour -- Quincy, IL, US
Rattlesnake Festival and Gopher Races -- San Antonio, TX, US (wild animal fun, Texas style; through tomorrow)
Romp in the Swamp Fun Walk -- Appleton, WI, US (plus hayrides, face painting, an outdoor movie, animal shows, a campfire with s'mores, and more)
Roseland Cottage Fine Arts & Crafts Festival -- Woodstock, CT, US (one of the leading juried shows in New England; through tomorrow)
Samora Machel Day -- Mozambique
Seeking of King Look Under Your Mattress -- Fairy Calendar
Saint Mary's County Oyster Festival -- Leonardtown, MD, US (oysters served every style; through tomorrow)
St. Frideswide's Day (Patron of Oxford and the University of Oxford)
St. Rene Goupil's Day (Patron of anesthetists, anesthesiologists)
Sweetest Day -- begun by Herbert Birch Kingston, a candy company employee who decided it would be wonderful to distribute candy to the sick, shut-ins and orphans in Cleveland, OH; today is the day to do something for someone that makes him/her say, "Oh, that is so sweet!"
Wisconsin Dells Autumn Harvest Fest -- Wisconsin Dells, WI, US (includes a scarecrow stuffing contest, pumpkin decorating, microbrew tasting, and more; through tomorrow)
Woolly Worm Festival -- Banner Elk, NC, US (woolly bear caterpillars race up 3-ft pieces of string, winner gets to predict the severity of the upcoming winter; through tomorrow)
Yabusame Festival -- Koyama, Japan (horseback archery, samurai costumes and dragons, oh, my!)
Yorktown Victory Day -- VA, US
Birthdays Today:
Ty Pennington, 1965
Evander Holyfield, 1962
John Lithgow, 1945
Jeannie C. Riley, 1945
Peter Max, 1937
Robert Reed, 1932
John Le Carre, 1931
Jack Anderson, 1922
Today in History:
Battle of Zama, Scipio Africanus and his Roman legions defeat Hannibal Barca and the invading Carthagian army, BC202
King Gauseric and his Vandals take the city of Carthage, 439
The Thirteen Years' War ends with the Treaty of Thorn, 1466
Martin Luther becomes a doctor of theology, 1512
The first general court is held in Boston, 1630
Cornwallis surrenders at Yorktown at 2PM, end of the US Revolutionary War, 1781
Napoleon begins his retreat from Moscow, 1812
Elizabeth Blackwell becomes the first woman to receive a medical degree, 1849
The first 4 blacks are elected to the US House of Representatives, 1870
The USPS first used an automobile to collect and deliver mail, 1914
Streptomycin, the first antibiotic which could treat tuberculosis, is isolated at Rutgers University, 1943
Black Monday - the Dow Jones Industrial Average falls by 22%, 508 points, 1987
Mother Teresa is beatified by Pope John Paul II, 2003
Saddam Hussein goes on trial in Baghdad for crimes against humanity, 2005
Hurricane Wilma becomes the most intense Atlantic hurricane on record with a minimum pressure of 882 mb, 2005
