Angelina strikes again!

[leni]

I like to think that Thanksgiving is just a day when the family gets together for a good time.

.... said by the person who works 5am-1pm Thursday, 4am-12:30pm Friday, and 5am-1pm Saturday, with no time in there to make the three hour drive to my parents' cause the store "has to get ready for the crowd and all the sallllllllessssssssssssss" (omg HATE working retail).

OOh, greychins, sounds rough. I work 7a-7p tomorrow and Friday, then 7a-3p Saturday, but I'm working in a patient's house and he's a baby, so it isn't too bad since I get to play with him all day and time goes by faster that way. Then when I get out Saturday I make the 2 hour trip to my parent's house to spend the weekend there, come back home Sunday afternoon, and back to work Monday.

 

[Annieo]

I already celebrated Thanksgiving last Saturday. it was all about family and when we could get together. Tomorrow is all about me and my pets

 

[Sandi]

Personally, I don't care how and if you celebrate Thanksgiving.

Both of my parents and my aunts and uncles were born and raised in Ecuador and when they all came to this country they, along with my grandparents adopted most of our country's traditional holidays. Only we celebrated them with a bit of spanish flare. Now, we are all spread out and don't get together as often but Thanksgiving and Christmas are the 2 holidays that we all try very hard to get together. From oldest to youngest, we voluntarily say what we are thankful for. We celebrated Thanksgiving today and tomorrow I will celebrate it with my husband's side of the family. My side of the family decided to do it today because of my nephew, who is a police officer and works in the worst crime ridden neighborhood in the City of Chicago, has to work most of Thanksgiving day. It was great that everyone agreed to celebrate it tonight so that my nephew could be a part of it.

To me, Thanksgiving has always meant family first then GREAT food, !

 

[RDZCRanch]

I've got 25 years on you Tab, and I don't give a flying fig what you or anybody else does with their Thanksgiving, nor do most "old" people

Yes not all people older than I am care about what I do or telling me how to do it. Sorry for the generalization but, I'm exaggerating because it irritated me to read...

Young people today are so jaded. It's sad. They don't believe in marriage (heard a survey about that) and now it seems.. holidays.

Making generalized statements like this hits nerves (which is why I posted a "generalization" about "older" people). I believe in marriage and I believe in keeping families close whether that be through holiday meals or just get together times. I'm not religious and I don't care to be, but to me marriage is a commitment and something to be taken seriously. I see people of ALL ages jumping in and out of marriages because divorce is an "easy" out. I don't give two craps about what one survey says. You also have to think that not EVERY person's family is peachy keen and not every person has a great history with their family.

I don't care what Angelina does and I don't care what anyone else does. That is COMPLETELY their choice and it doesn't make someone jaded for not wanting to celebrate a "family" holiday. People give their own meanings to holidays, just like people have their own religious beliefs...I don't see the point of trying to push personal ideas onto other people and then using excuses about age to point out why their idea is wrong.

 

[3CsMommy]

I have to agree with Tab about this. There has been no joy in my "family" holidays since my grandfather's sudden admission to the hospital on Thanksgiving 1987. His funeral was 12/21 that same year. So why should I jump though hoops for people that have no idea how to actually celebrate a holiday and do whatever they can to make me just as miserable as they are? My age has nothing to do with the fact that I know it's not good for me to be surrounded by unhappy, selfish people three times a year based on a long-standing national habit. If I had my way, I'd be hosing out kennels at the SPCA or staging an all-day movie marathon with the college friends I haven't seen in a couple of years.

If that makes me easy to brush off as a "jaded young person" then so be it. I think it's a narrow minded (or at best a poorly expressed) opinion, but thought is free.

 

[Jenn]

Thanksgiving at our house is just an excuse to keep our family home together, with a good movie or football games on, and eating the traditional food. Our boys enjoy the day, and we keep holidays special for them.

I really don't care and am not offended, by how people choose to spend this day.

 

[ABBY W.]

But instead of praying for the suffering of others, nationally the focus seems to be "I'm thankful I have/did/got XXX, now where's the pumpkin pie?" instead of, "I'm moved to pity/help those w/ less than I have." I also think the secondary point of "family time" is just as overlooked as the truth about the origins of the day, considering how many families muddle through dinner, then sit in front of a football game or street map to plan their attack on Black Friday sales.

I don't agree with this. I believe that being thankful for what you have also implies a recognition of the suffering of others. It's a recognition of your own luckiness to have something special that some do not. Are you thankful for oxygen? No. You take it for granted because it's always there and everyone has it. We are thankful for those things we know are not a given.

I lost my father this past February and then a close family friend committed suicide three weeks after that. This Thanksgiving I am sad for the loss of those people, but I am profoundly thankful for the ones I still have, and for the new baby we are expecting in the family any day now. I also recognize how lucky I am to have had those lost people in my life to begin with. I believe many people feel the way I do about Thanksgiving but don't know necessarily how to say it, so they celebrate the holiday the way they know how.

3CsMommy, I am so sorry you have had the experiences you have. It has obviously left you hurt. But you should remember that there is more than one kind of family. You shouldn't deprive yourself of the memories of holiday celebrations because your natal family is a problem. Gather the "family" you wish to have and celebrate with them!
PS Apparently, I suck at the quoting thing...sorry!

 

[ticklechin]

Eat, drink and be merry, my take on the holiday.

 

[Sandi]

Eat, drink and be merry, my take on the holiday.

:thumbsup: I agree! I'm just happy being around my family. When we get together there is just a ton of laughter, and my girls playing with their cousins instead of their electronic toys.

 

[CTChin]

Well I'm sorry you all took jaded so personally. I didn't say it angrily..I said it with sadness. I was once a 20 something and I have a 23 year old daughter with a lot of 20 something friends so I do know a bit what i'm talking about.

Join the ranks and I'm sorry for your loss. My mother died almost 5 years ago and she laid in a hospital dying from cancer on thanksgiving, through Christmas, past New Years and finally died on Jan 28th. If anything it makes me realize that how important family, tradition and holiday memories are.

EDIT to ADD: There was just a survey discussed on CNN that said that fewer and fewer young people are getting married because they do no believe in it. Don't shoot the messenger.

 

[AZChins]

Brenda...the same thing happened with my dad. He got sick right before Thanksgiving and went into the hospital and died on December 27th. Having that happens sucks all the meaning out of holidays and makes them not really all that important anymore. My cousin died right after Easter a few years ago...that one was destroyed for us, too.

Still...I love food and holiday food is the best! I try to not think about the bad stuff as much as I can or I get pretty depressed.

I heard about people not believing in marriage on the news. It seems sad to me. Then again I know quite a few people, who never should have ever gotten married, so I guess I can understand why people would stop thinking marriage is a good idea.

 

[threewingedfury]

Meh, I wasn't going to reply to this, but heck, why not?

I, for one, do not enjoy the holidays. I personally find them depressing, a waste of money and a constant stress. In my family, there's always a fight about who didn't come to each other's get togethers, who has to fix what for dinner, who is spending the most money on gifts, traveling, etc etc. I personally would rather just not have holidays. I don't see anything to celebrate anymore. I love to see my family, but it's never a happy time, there's always so much tension. Not many care about the true meaning of the holidays anymore, and I've personally lost all interest in them as it gives me nothing but a headache. On Thanksgiving if I fix more than one plate of food, I'm told that I'm fat enough and shouldn't eat anymore - yeah, real nice eh? I'm sick of being asked by certain family members why I didn't buy them a Christmas present (when of course, I didn't get anything from them either, nor did I want anything) when I honestly cannot afford to buy for every member of mine and my husband's family - it's ridiculous and NOT the point of Christmas, and I'd go bankrupt in doing so. They just seem to expect Christmas presents from me. I gave out a Christmas picture of me and my husband in a frame to everyone last year - there was nothing but a grumble about how inconsiderate I was for not spending $20-30 on a gift for 100+ family members. Never again will I even try to please the crowd, I give up.

I don't see where being young or old has anything to do with the holidays. I think its all in the values of the family, the way you were raised and your personal situation. My family always went full out on holidays, weeks of decorating, preparing, thousands of dollars spent, etc. The older I got, the more fights, the more arguments, the more I heard yelling in the kitchen over why the food wasn't done quick enough. It got old, and it's just not a happy time anymore. Holidays were always surrounded by my great grandmother who loved Christmas and Thanksgiving and we'd have HUGE get togethers. She has now passed and things just haven't been the same since. My grandparents have a really hard time during the holidays now and there has just been a complete 360 turn around in the attitude of my family in the past few years since she's been gone.

As far as marriage goes - I got married at 18, have been married for going on 6 years now and I realized that I was an absolute IDIOT in throwing my life away so quickly and not enjoying my early life. If I had to do it all over again, I would never get married. I see nothing in it except a piece of paper and sharing of a last name. People live together happily without ever getting married and don't have to deal with the legal and monetary hassles of marriage and a divorce. So what if you get a few tax cuts?

 

[chinnychinchinchilla]

to me thanksgiving is about getting with family you dont get to see very often and catching up, all while pigging out. its a great holiday in my opinion. even if i didnt believe in the reasons to celebrate it i would still get the family together for a "family day". thanksgiving to me is like christmas without all the decorations, and presents. the family gets together, enjoys a meal, and catches up.

today we have my aunt and uncle coming over and theyre going to stay for a few days, but we're not having thanksgiving today. we are waiting for my brother to get here for leave from afghanistan so it will probably be more than a week. when we do celebrate it i think my grandma is going to come over.

 

[AZChins]

I agree completely. I don't celebrate Christmas because I am pretty lazy and see it as being pointless. We don't have kids so I am not traumatizing anyone by not having a tree and lights. We don't really have the money to buy gifts for people...and I like to buy gifts and give them to people when they aren't expected.

Tiffany...I know all about the stupid fights. Those aren't the worst. The worst is the fakey fake pretend to get along and pretend to like each other thing. It's uncomfortable for everyone and leads to family members greatly disliking each other. My family doesn't like me all that much...I laugh a lot and try to talk to everyone so that they feel important...and I'm genuine in what I say and do because life is too short to be a phony. They roll their eyes and act like they're too good to just sit back and relax and have a good time. They're all preoccupied with thinking about money and other stupidity. At least I have good stories to tell...hehehe...chinnies leave me with lots of stories.

Most families aren't all that great even if they look like they are from the outside.

 

[caiti]

Honestly, most of the people I know have major issues with their family. I think holidays are a very opportune time to see family, and I mean family in whatever people you love. My parents and I have been going to a friend's house the last few thanksgivings and I just realized as I was typing this that I am not related to them, but in my mind I kind of made that connection because they are part of my family to me. I am lucky to have a lovely natal family with no craziness really but to be frank--if I spent the day making myself homemade mac & cheese, pumpkin pie, talking to my chin and cat like a crazy old cat lady and watching some Law & Order I would have been happy as clam.

If you don't have nice family, there's always friends. If you don't have friends, there's always pets. If you don't have pets, there is always TV/books/radio. And drizzled all over that, when all else fails or as a constant addition to good times, there's always, ALWAYS food.

As far as respecting the historical aspect of it--In reality, no one knows what happened then. History becomes skewed with time and while it is likely the modern account is mostly accurate I don't really ever think about it. I do think about the concepts of sharing and respect for fellow creatures when I am having a good time with people I love, just not in the context of the early American settlers.

 

[3CsMommy]

Gather the "family" you wish to have and celebrate with them!

I would have if I could. It just wasn't in the cards this year. So, I made the best of what I had to work with. :thumbsup: