Good food, warm drinks and an excuse to sit back and gorge is just a few of the attractive qualities of Thanksgiving. Did I mention good food? Oh, how I love to cook stuffing, pumpkin pie and other dishes that normally wouldn’t pop up on my daily menu!

But Thanksgiving has a black mark on it’s reputation – a giant scarlet “S” that mars an otherwise lovely holiday. Over the years Thanksgiving has become less about giving thanks for our warm homes, savory food and loved ones and more and more about what we don’t have.

Rather focusing on all the good we’ve been blessed with, we spend the holiday coveting that new big screen television, the latest in kitchen gadgetry and whatever else we fancy this year. Instead of spending some quality time with friends and family, we whittle away the hours pouring over sale advertisements and checking for the best “deals” online. At worst, we may forgo family time altogether and instead line up outside the big electronic store at the wee hours of the morning so we can score that “doorbuster” deal. Enough!

• When did giving Thanks turn into being thankless?
• When did family time turn into shoving through crowds at the mall?
• When did the traditions of our ancestors turn into the tradition of spending money?

I find myself shaking my head and repulsed by the whole thing. But I’m working myself into a fit here.

I understand the allure of Black Friday. I really do. My husband and I have been thinking about buying a new camcorder for almost 6 months. I caught myself thinking about checking for big sales before my brain cells finally kicked in. It’s just not worth perpetuating the consumerism

mentality. I can buy a camcorder any day of the year. Why not spend this time off enjoying being home instead?

So when you sit around the dinner table tomorrow – be it with family, friends, or simply your significant other – take a moment to count the things you should be thankful for. Be grateful for the good food, the clothes you are wearing, the break from our hectic jobs and take a moment to remember those that aren’t as fortunate.

I know I have a lot of things to be thankful. From my hard-working husband to the chickens the gives us eggs everyday, it’s the little things that make life all the more sweeter.

So this Friday, I declare Buy Nothing Day in my house!

Photo Credit: Tom Turkey. Olin Gilbert. Licensed under creative commons license 2.0