The Forgotten Holiday

Speaking of Gluttony...

Oh, the holidays- upon us, already they are.

Christmas decorations are up in Mid Town. I love Christmas lights- tiny lights in the cold air, little pieces of brightness in the pitch black.
But Thanksgiving isn't even until this Thursday, aren't we jumping the gun a bit?

Christmas is lovely but before plunging headlong into a holiday that, for most, is completely secular and without religious association and is now heaftily focused on obligatory exchanges of material goods, I'll take pause to examine the forgotten holiday- Daylight Savings.

Defiying the time-space continuum, every year we are gifted an extra hour. An extra hour to sleep, an extra hour to our busy days and the reoccuring wave of relief all day long to look at our timepieces and mutter, "It's only..." Nothing to be given, shopped for, stressed over, nothing to hoard, only an ethereal gift with no giver. Both intangible and useful; the ultimate gift card, usable any way you want it.

Every fall my mother and I wish each other a happy Daylight's Savings and I advise many more to do the same. As I look ahead to this Thursday- my previous Favorite Holiday- I am happy for the simplicity of an hour. Thanksgiving, with a name that should really say it all, has become another opportunity to hyperbolize what could easily be nuanced. Giving thanks shouldn't be tied to obscene gluttony, but for a majority of Americans (those lucky enough to have so much) it seems that overeating is the de facto way to celebrate. The question plauguing me is, how is my being thankful for having too much food making it any better for those who don't have any?

While anyone would say that statement is an error in logic, I don't know that everyone celebrating is thinking logically at all. That's not what it's all about, but that seems to be what it's become. Just as Christmas didn't start out as a time to feel guilty over not being able to afford very specific items on your loved ones wish list, it is becomming an unfortunate reality.

With economisery rampant this holiday season, I hope we can take it easy on ourselves to give or give thanks for that which is truly important- be it a dinner, a personal token or even just an hour.