Skipping Thanksgiving?

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been very tempted to just skip right over Thanksgiving this year. In a normal year, I would wait at least until the night of Thanksgiving before busting out the Christmas decorations and music. But this year, we’ve been watching Christmas movies and listening to Christmas music all month. Last weekend, we put up the tree and broke out the decorations. I’ve even started wrapping gifts and putting them under the tree.

With the challenging year we’ve all had, it’s easy to gloss over the idea of being thankful and skip right to the festivities of Christmas. After all, what is there to be thankful about in 2020? But as I was contemplating this idea this morning, I realized that I can’t just skip Thanksgiving. Yes, it’s been a difficult year. But even in the midst of difficulty, there is still so much to be thankful for.

I am thankful that I’ve continued to be employed during a year when so many lost jobs. I’m thankful that this same job has allowed me to work remotely so I can be home while my kids are distance learning. I am thankful that distance learning has been a blessing for my family. Not only has it allowed my kids to grow closer to one another, the format has been really productive to my son’s education. I am thankful that even in my most lonely moments, God has been right there with me. I’m thankful that Zoom has allowed me to stay connected to people through my small group. I’m thankful that YouTube has allowed me to continue to worship with my local church. And the list could go on.

So even though it looks like Christmas morning in my house and we will probably spend all day watching Christmas movies, I am going to make a pointed effort, for myself and my kids, to express gratitude to God and those around me.

“Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever.”

Psalm 107:1 ESV

Happy Thanksgiving!