Gobble Gobble

No, those guys aren't our dinner. They're a pair of Wild Turkeys from the zoo. We visited them last week. I can't wait for the day we pick out our Turkey chick (turkling? still learning the lingo, folks) and raise it for our Thanksgiving meal.

There are few things I get completely internally torn up about, one of them is holidays. We're talking shredded insides here, people.

When I was a kid we celebrated holidays with zeal. Heaping tables surrounded by relatives without much thought behind the holiday other than traditions we've come to expect; food, fun and presents. I suppose with age and enlightenment I've put down the rose colored glasses and replaced them with a jaded eye. Holidays serve a purpose, in fact the term "holidays" is slang for "Holy Days" when the church gave peasants the day off to renew their confirmation to God by celebrating specific Christian events. We've morphed them into feel-good feast days or a goal to reach on the work calendar with little reflection on the purpose behind the symbolism. Looking forward to what we get out of it, instead of the principle. History too, has become forgotten.

I am trying very hard not to soap box on you before you pull out those fat roasters and get to work but it's difficult. Hey, I have a 12lber ready to go, too. But I have a problem with it and you, my unfortunate readers, get to hear it. That is, if you're still reading.

This year we've nixed Christmas. Why? Because we're not Christian. (I'm sure I just lost a bunch of you.) We're Unitarian Universalists. Also, because there becomes little meaning behind it when you take the Christ out of the equation. Celebrating it feels like an elaborate jest. We've decided to celebrate Solstice instead. We're taking a page out of The Book of New Family Traditions, enveloping the things that are important to us and how we want to teach our children.

Tomorrow celebrates another day I have a problem with. Thanksgiving. All I'm going to ask is for you to look into the historic truth about the holiday. You might be shocked. Maybe you'll change your ideas about how to celebrate or if you do it at all. We're changing it, developing it beyond the thankfulness and feast.

I ask you to read about the history, check out the book if you're interested, and feel free to post a reply with your thoughts and ideas. This is a morphing topic in our household and I'd love to hear from others.(I try really hard not to push, just pry eyes open a little. If you're happy with your celebrations, by all means continue!)

I am thankful for you readers. Happy tomorrow.