Freedom From Want

Norman Rockwell "Freedom From Want".

My sister Robin and I were talking about the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday and she eloquently pointed out that while she loves Christmas, there is something so simple and yet beautiful about Thanksgiving.  No long list of gifts to buy, no commercial consumerism, Hallmark hasn't completely commandeered it, just a day to give thanks for all we are grateful for, a day to celebrate family, friends and blessings.   I worked in retail for 11 years and sometimes I felt out of it and anxious on Thanksgiving day.  The night before I may have been at the store late setting up for Black Friday, and then of course there was the appropriately named Black Friday the day after.  After consuming turkey, stuffing, pie, and perhaps a few too many gimlets, while everyone else was still sleeping off the celebration, I would drag myself to the store to welcome the masses of eager shoppers looking for the perfect holiday makeup palette.  And while Thanksgiving is the kick off to the excitement and joy of Christmas for many, for me it was the beginning of the retail holiday mayhem, long hours, working six days a week and dealing with crazed impatient shoppers in desperate need of the perfect gift.  Perhaps that is why I have such a visceral reaction to these Black Friday ads, “Door Busters!  Get there at 3:00 AM for the best deals!”  or “Now Open 7:00AM until 3:00PM Thanksgiving Day!  Get a jump on your Black Friday shopping!”  or my favorite, “Doors open 12:00AM Thursday night!”  Umm, don’t you mean doors open at 12:00AM THANKSGIVING night??  I mean, are they forgetting what this is really all about?  It is not about camping out, stampeding into a big box of a store at 3:00am to rush over and get the newest gadget, gizmo and soon to be piece of landfill at an insanely reduced price.  “They” (I really don’t know who they are, Madison Ave?  Walmart? We/Us??) are taking one of the least commercial holidays and attempting to overshadow it with pure unadulterated consumption.  If these ads are to be believed, it is like Black Friday is the main attraction, not Thanksgiving.   All week as the ads for these “Insane!” sales increased I found my anger and exasperation increasing as well.  I would rail at anyone who would listen, “3:00 AM??? That is the MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT!  This is not normal!  What is wrong with Americans?  And what about the poor employees who have to leave their homes the night of Thanksgiving at 1:00AM to trudge to work and deal with crowds of charging, sale crazed consumers???”  

The fact is, some people must enjoy these sales, it must have a sense of event or excitement for them, perhaps they even look forward to it.  In the current state of our economy perhaps I should take comfort in the fact that people are camping out overnight so they can be the first ones to part with their money.  I won’t ever really understand it, and I don’t need to.  Especially now that I am thankfully no longer in retail full time.  I can’t control the rest of the country and how they live, how they celebrate Thanksgiving, whether they give thanks for amazing deals and huge reductions or if they cherish the simpler, less commercial blessings.  However, I can control how I show thanks, how I celebrate the day and those around me.  So I chose to let go of anxiety and anger and to instead focus on being thankful for the many blessings I have in my life.  I'm thankful for my family,  the abundance of love we have in our lives,  my good health and the health of all those I love, tradition, the food we have on the table, for being free from want.  I am thankful for everyone who reads this blog and for all the lovely, kind, encouraging comments I have received over the last 6 months.  I'm thankful that I get to spend my days with the most wonderful little guy in the world, and that I no longer have to drag myself kicking and screaming to work on Black Friday.  I am thankful for all the people who supported and donated to our Avon walk this year, I am so very thankful that my family has supported me in getting healthy and changing my life.  I could go on for pages and pages, but I guess what I am trying to say is instead of letting Black Friday and all I feel it represents cast a dark shadow over Thanksgiving Day I am going to remind myself of all the many blessings I have in my life and I hope that wherever you are and however you celebrate Thanksgiving, whether it be with family, friends, or  in a pup tent in the Target parking lot, that you are blessed, at peace, and want for nothing.  Happy Thanksgiving! 

 

Comments

[Kat]

I remember before Halloween, working a Bloomies, I looked up and there were the Christmas decorations out. I could actually feel the bile rising in my throat with a chaser of anxiety. It's such a shame that all sense of decorum goes out the window with a lot of consumers. Unfortunately the holidays bring out a lot of beasts. I don't think I really exhale until I do the last New Years makeover. But then yesterday, as my husband helped me cook our modest Thanksgiving "feast" for two, I actually felt that exhale starting. Maybe it comes with time or dare I say age, I've learned not to absorb it as much. I don't readily let strangers "steal my joy". I'm going to take my time this holiday and let myself enjoy it - I think I deserve it. I am thankful that we crossed paths and you keep spreading your joy because it touches us all :)

[Manda]

Aww, thanks Kat! I am so glad to have met you too! And I hope you are able to get a few pockets of peace and exhale throughout this holiday season! xoxo

[Robin]

Mandy - Just read this now. What a great post. It is perfect timing too as I was almost getting wrapped up in all of the to-dos this week, forgetting that this is a such a special week and that I have so much to be thankful for. I hope you have a joyful Christmas and an amazing 2011 - even better than this past year. I am so excited to celebrate with you and blessed to have you in my life.