The Beaver Moon Meander

OK, excuse me, but maybe I just don't get it. Here it is, the first dyas of November, and all the Christmas decorations are up. People are selling Christmas trees in empty lots, while many people haven't yet begun to take down their Halloween decorations. OK, excuse me, but what in the name of the blazes ever happened to Thanksgiving? Did they cancel it this year?

If you'll pardon my paranoid conspiratorial rantings, I don't think it's any accident that Thanksgiving is de-emphasized in comparison to Halloween and Christmas. After all, what is Thanksgiving about? Well, it's about a number of things: the traditional celebration is one of giving thanks for the bounty of the New World and the spirit of togetherness of a group of religious refugees and the native inhabitants; cynically, it's the celebration of a broad, rich continent to plunder and helpful locals to murder and exploit. In either perspective, though, giving thanks is paramount.

What is giving thanks? It's a reflection upon one's good fortune, of satisfaction. Now here's my conspiracy theory. The Great Insecurity Factories in this country don't want you to feel satisfied, because then they can't convince you to buy their products! If you're thankful for what you've got, you may possibly harbor the idea that you don't need more!

Christmas, in this country, has long been about gifts and parties rather than religion. Likewise, Halloween is about goin' out an' gettin' some candy, and going to spooky parties. They're both loaded with public rituals of consumption. So I say that we should fight back by reclaiming the holiday of Thankgiving, and getting together with friends and family to appreciate what we have!

Phone in comments to 310.210.3347, meil 'em to the postal address skillfully concealed elsewhere on this page, or email 'em to samuelg@themeander.org

We went for a bracing, if brief, hike along the Stunt Road trail / Topanga overlook. It was 41 degrees (F) at the trailhead. Then, some continued hiking, some went home, and the balance went to the Meier Quagg where we read around the fireplace.
  • excerpts from Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut
  • excerpts from All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
  • excerpts from The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales by John Scieszka
  • excerpts from Interpreter of Maladies: Stories by Jhumpa Lahiri

All misspellings, misattributions, omissions or errors in naming should be construed as Acts of God, directed through yours truly (for reasons at which we as mere mortals may only guess...)