Monday, November 14, 2011

BLOTTING OUT BLACK FRIDAY

Marion Pellicano Ambrose
Halloween has come and gone and it’s time to celebrate the official day of being grateful – Thanksgiving. What an important a concept to teach our children and to remember for ourselves! And yet, TV, Movies, radio stations and department stores have virtually skipped right over this special holiday and jumped ahead to Christmas!

Macy's Parade in the 1950's
Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE Christmas! I love to decorate and bake, wrap gifts and sing Christmas Carols, but NOT IN NOVEMBER! What ever happened to Christmas season beginning at the end of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade when Santa walks into Macy’s? My sister and I would sit with our Dad, just waiting for that special moment. It was only after that event that we were allowed to start decorating and playing our Christmas records. (yes, I did play records - 33RPM albums of Bing Crosby, Andy Williams and Johnny Matthis!)                                                                                                                       The next day -BLACK FRIDAY! The official beginning of the frantic search for just the right gift for everyone on your Christmas list!


Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade 2008
My husband and I followed this same custom with our children. My husband took it a step farther by not allowing the “C” word until after Thanksgiving. He abhors how commercialized the holidays have become and wanted our kids to learn to appreciate and celebrate one holiday at a time.

If you come to my house you’ll see scarecrows in the yard, an autumn wreath on the door and inside the house is decorated with turkeys, pilgrims and fall leaves. There is not, and there will not be a single snowflake, Santa or reindeer until the end of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade!

I would also like to send KUDOS to Nordstrom for their holiday policy!

(Nordstrom is one of the leading companies in their hiring and consideration of people with disabilities as well.)

I’d like to wish you all a very happy Thanksgiving filled with every blessing and joy!

Spirit Of Thanksgiving picture

3 comments:

  1. I am not able to agree with you on this one Marion. For many years I tried to do it all...decorate, celebrate and shop til I dropped...it didn't work. I would end up sick every year by Christmas Eve. Having two little ones, this just could not happen.

    I set my tree up this weekend (the earliest ever) I can tell you that the pressure is off! All 14' of tree will probably be finished by next weekend. I have fingers crossed for a warm upcoming weekend so we can get outside done as well. We do not turn on lights til the day after Thanksgiving.

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  2. I understand Dawn, and respect your opinion. I just hate to see Thanksgiving get lost in the shuffle. I have all my Christmas shopping done, so I'm not against preparing, I just like to wait for the tree and decorations until the day after Thanksgiving, then it's Christmas full speed ahead!
    I think it's because I love the anticipation before the actual holiday more than the holiday itself! I love picking out special gifts for everyone on my list and imagining their reaction when they open it. I love the baking, changing curtains, setting up villages and wrapping. Yes, it's definately the preparation and anticipation that I love best!

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  3. Tree up...
    Shopping done...
    If I didn't love you so much I'd hate ya both! :P

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