Today I want to talk about that lovely American (and Canadian) holiday called 'Thanksgiving'. I feel like I have talked a lot about holidays recently, but there are just a lot happening all around the same time in the fall/early winter.
Thanksgiving, for those who may not be aware, is the celebration of food, people you care about, and other things you are thankful for. For a long time, I thought the holiday was celebrated because back in pilgram times there had been a big feast between the pilgrams and the Native Americans, which is because that is what my teachers told me. Well, that is all a lie. It was probably a celebration in honor of stealing other people's food and having stored up enough food for the winter. But now a days, it is more of a day to eat enormous amounts of food and be surrounded by family you love/are forced to love.
My extended family lives rather far away, so Thanksgivings at my house are just my parents, sister, and me. Although I am not missing Thanksgiving too much (most likely due to that we are having a Thanksgiving party here in England), I cannot imagine what it must be like at my house. When only four people attend Thanksgiving, one person missing is quite a large percentage.
I also find myself wondering if they will go 'Black Friday' shopping. (That is when people go to stores really early in the morning (like 12 AM) to try and buy really cheap stuff.) Last year I had to stand in line for four hours, waiting for a TV to be released. You could not even go to the restroom, because you would lose your spot. I ended up being the first person in line since I got there so early, and it turned out I did not need to stand in line, because hardly anyone even wanted those TVs.
But the main thing I remember was being glad that I was in line instead of walking around the store (we were in Walmart, which pretty much turns into some variation of hell on Black Friday). At Walmart there are certain items, which are not released until 10 PM, midnight, 2 AM, etc. and these items are wrapped in plastic wrap so you can find them but not take any until they are opened by the employees. There were literally people walking around with box cutters out, slashing randomly at wrapped items, taking the items, and then running off. Specifically, I saw them do this with a Dora the Explorer coloring set. What? Is Dora's array of colored pencils really worth it?
There were also people who would stand next to you looking at an item and then when you looked away, they would steal items out of your cart. And speaking of carts, I saw at least three carts entirely full of mini crock pots. What? How many fondues are you planning to make at once? Maybe just one large one would suffice?
Oe woman who was in line behind me, told her husband about how she had tried to get an electric car for their young son, but that these other women had box cutters and were threatening to cut her with them. Again, what? You do have to go back to real life after tonight. A real life where stabbing people is illegal.
Yes, I was glad to be in line, safely behind a barrier where I could watch as thousands of years of building a civilization came crashing down, because of some colored pencils. It was probably one of the scariest moments in my life. Only second to when I was in ninth grade and some insane girl was screaming at the bus driver and we almost crashed about three times.
But here in England, they do not have Black Friday shopping, although they might have a varient of it (like Boxing Day in Canada). And even if they did, I would not be going. Hell is not a place I like to make frequent visits at.
But another thing about Thanksgiving, is that for some people it is more of a seque holiday. Like, we have to get through Thanksgiving before we can get to Christmas. I feel that way, in a sense, in that I refuse to listen to Christmas music until Thanksgiving. I used to not have this rule, but I would then get tired of my favorite tunes way before it was even time for Christmas.
England, does not have Thanksgiving to get through though, so they have had Christmas decorations up since Halloween, some places, even before that. And tons of businesses have signs saying, 'Book Christmas Dinner here', a few restaurants even have New Year's ones.
Overall, I am a bit sad to be away from my family on this family-centered holiday, but I will get to see them in about a month, so nothing to be too sad about. And I am really excited for the Thanksgiving party we have having. All of the study abroad students from our school are getting together to eat together today in celebration. I have never had a big Thanksgiving, so I am excited to experience it.
Until next time...
Embrace the Odd,
Caitlin
"The difference between a violin and a viola is that a viola burns longer." -Victor Borge
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