On American Thanksgiving

We tend to believe that Americans are too sappy when it comes to patriotic events. They are too apt to give in to jingoistic slogans like Black Friday and Tripple Witching (see stock market). Howevewr, when it come to Thanksgiving the American's can't hold a candle to anyone.

In Canada, Thanksgiving is mainly a civil service holdiay on which the only thanks that is given is for the day off. We approach the day phelgmatically. We either have nothing to be thankful for or thankfulness is something best kept to onself. If we are cynical we believe that the only reaon the US date is later than the one in Canada is that it is closer to Christmas and that the holiday can be leveraged into a frenzy of holiday shopping. While that may be true, in part, for most Americans Thanksgiving is a special holiday that transcends the commercialism that has been grafted onto the holiday.

If we think about family and holidays, there is nothing quite like Thanksgiving. Celegrating Christmas may not go over with the non Christians. Channuka is only for Jews. Kwanza for African Americans. And so on. Thanksgiving is the only non sectarian holiday that is as laced with tradition as it is with turkey. We are fortunate that we have kids and grandkids on the US side of the border. We therefore get the benefit of both kinds of Thanksgiving, ours and theirs and there is no comparison.

Like salmon returning to the place of their birth, most everyone that can goes "home". It is a great ingathering that tops family disagreements. It is a time when inlaws are welcomed as warmly as parents. Brothers and sisters visit freely even if they talk infreqyently during the year. Best of all it is non sectarisn (notwithstanding that the holiday was said to have been created by the Pilgrims, a religious sect). It has remained relatively commercial free because the shopping bingers are largly limited to Black Friday and the ensuing Christmas crush. The propriety of stores that open late on Tbursday is roundly debated in an otherwise relentlessly commerical culture.

Given the latest commercial and economic upheavals the Americans have a lot to learn from Canada. But on the matter of Thanksgiving we have a lot to learn from our American cousins. So, turkeyday, here I come--pumpkin pie and all.

Bernie,