The Simplicity of Thanksgiving

Posted by Shelah | November 25, 2008 | 13 Comments

Back in my undergraduate days, I took a Shakespeare course like every other English major. And just like everyone else, we read Macbeth and King Lear. When I was doing research for my paper on King Lear, I remember reading lots of sources that called it Shakespeare’s “most important” dramatic work. I couldn’t decide what to write about, because there was just so much going on– should I focus on the pagan symbolism? The Christian symbolism? The familial relationships? And it was just so long and convoluted that frankly, I was glad to be done reading it. Macbeth, on the other hand, wasn’t as well-regarded by scholars, but it followed a linear progression, which made it easy to read (it’s short too, which is always good). It was essentially about one thing– a couple’s blind ambition. While both plays were emotionally charged, one was beautiful for its complexities, the other for its simplicities.

I went grocery shopping this morning, and unless I’d checked my calendar before leaving the house, I would have been quite sure I had landed smack in the middle of December. Christmas carols blared over the loudspeaker, the shelf stockers wore Santa hats, and the florist section was full of poinsettias. It took me a while to locate the lone display of Thanksgiving paper plates. Thanksgiving always gets short shrift, but I think the fact that it’s the underdog might be one of the reasons why it’s also my favorite holiday.

Celebrationally speaking, Christmas is definitely King Lear. Christmas is five weeks away, and I already have a list taped to my fridge of the candy and cookies I’ll be making and a rough draft of our annual Christmas letter percolating in my brain. I’m planning a luncheon for the women I Visit Teach. We have tickets to the Nutcracker and invitations to office Christmas parties. My kids are chomping at the bit to get the five rubbermaid bins of decorations and ornaments out of the attic. But the season isn’t technically even here yet. Once it gets here we’ll have to balance the “are we buying too much and spoiling our children forever?” with all of the Santa wish lists. We have to balance the chaos of seeing both sides of our families or the loneliness of not seeing any of them. We’ll try to balance the emphasis on Christ with the ubiquitousness of the man in red. It’s a great time of year, and would be seen by many as the “most important” holiday of the year, but let’s face it, it’s also exhausting.

Thanksgiving reminds me more of Macbeth. A couple of weeks ago we invited some friends and a family member to have dinner with us, but it wasn’t until last night that I finally pulled out the cookbooks and started to plan a menu, which took about fifteen minutes. We have exactly two Thanksgiving decorations– a set of pilgrims sitting on the mantel. I do have plans to spend a lot of time tomorrow and Thursday in the kitchen, but it won’t hold a candle to the hours my mom and I spend each year rolling tiny balls of dough into millions of Christmas cookies. During the Christmas season, I’m very careful to say “Happy Holidays,” so as not to inadvertently offend anyone who may not believe the way I do. I appreciate that Thanksgiving celebrates something we can all agree on– good food and being thankful.

I’m thankful for sweet potatoes and cranberry apple pie and fresh whipped cream. I’m thankful for friends to share the day with. I’m thankful for the simplicity of Thanksgiving. It may not be the most important holiday of the year, but sometimes simple is best.

Category: Daily Special

Comments

13 Responses to “The Simplicity of Thanksgiving”

cahkaylahlee
November 25th, 2008 @ 7:26 am

I agree, Thanksgiving has been my favorite holiday since I was a teenager. A whole day devoted to eating really good food! It doesn’t get any better than that.

My second favorite holiday: Groundhog’s Day. It’s simple (and stupid) but you need something to celebrate in February.
Jess
November 25th, 2008 @ 8:02 am

Amen. I too love Thanksgiving and DESPISE the Christmas displays that go up right after Halloween!
Annette
November 25th, 2008 @ 8:35 am

Great post. Simplicity is good.

Somehow I can’t stop thinking about my own King Lear experience–I had an advanced writing class as an English major where all we did for an entire semester was write progressively longer papers about King Lear, using different critical theories. Let’s just say I hate that play and will never read it again!
cheryl
November 25th, 2008 @ 8:47 am

I love this analogy; it fits perfectly!

But what does it say about me that I have never read all the way through King Lear, but I adore the hustle and bustle of Christmas? Yeah, probably nothing.
jendoop
November 25th, 2008 @ 9:08 am

My children and I had a similar conversation yesturday- well, not the Shakespeare part. It is great to at least be able to share gratitude with everyone. Bizarre how it is immediately followed up by a giant case of the gimmies.

I would like to think Thanksgiving would be something we could all agree on. To my surprise there are ethnic groups that think Thanksgiving is about celebrating the white man’s triumph over the Indians. Personally, the whole pilgrim thing only enters my mind when the kids talk about what they studied in school the week before Thanksgiving and even then it’s not a celebration of white power. Can’t we all just get along?
Heather H.
November 25th, 2008 @ 9:45 am

Great post Shelah. Now I’m having pre-holiday anxiety about what to do for my visiting teachees .

I told my daughter the other day that we just get to celebrate everything we’re grateful for. She said, “That sounds like a good idea.”

Amen.
Lk-ton
November 25th, 2008 @ 2:39 pm

I will admit that I am one of those people who can’t start the Christmas season soon enough. I pull out my Christmas music way too soon after Halloween and already I have some of my Christmas Nativity’s displayed in my living room. I guess it is because I feel like I can’t celebrate Thanksgiving properly with out these reminders of the One that I am truely the most thankful for.
I love Thanksgiving, I love all the furious cooking and the days of preparation and yes, all of the leftovers that find there way to my hips. But most of all I love it because I get to be with the people that I love the most and remember the things that are truely the most important.
Emily M.
November 25th, 2008 @ 3:49 pm

I love Thanksgiving too. Christmas wears me out. I love it when it’s simple joy, but it gets cluttered so quickly. But Thanksgiving is pretty hard to mess up. Gratitude and good food. A wonderful holiday.
wendy
November 25th, 2008 @ 4:53 pm

Great post! We’re trying simplicity for Christmas this year, too. I feel much less stressed than usual about it. It’s very very nice.
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Leslie
November 26th, 2008 @ 7:44 pm

excellent analysis–there is something in the good food that inspires profound thanks-
KimReece-Lairson
November 28th, 2008 @ 8:41 am

A feast wherein you are thankful…where your family is…heaven!!