November 26 2015

Hooray, Hooray, good old Thanksgiving Day! Today in the United States is celebrated Thanksgiving Day. What does it mean? I’m inclined to agree with Regina Brett.

“If no one shopped on Thanksgiving Day, the stores wouldn't open. End of story. I say we all take the pledge and stay home. Thanksgiving is a day to give thanks for what you have, not to save a few dollars to get more”.

Regina is Brett is the New York Times bestselling author of ‘God Never Blinks’, among other semi-religious works including her latest ‘God is always hiring’. Thanksgiving Day is a bit like Father’s Day, Granny’s Day or Apple Picking Day. All creations of the capitalist regime to part the fool from his hard earned money or his welfare cheque which is somebody else’s hard earned money. 

It all started in 1840 when the ‘Penny Post’ was established and postage could be prepaid with the printing of the first stamp called ‘The Penny Black’. It was the brainchild of Sir Henry Cole following a pamphlet by Sir Rowland Hill on the reformation of the British Post Office.

In 1843, Cole introduced the world's first commercial Christmas card, commissioning artist John Callcott Horsley to complete the design. Clever fellow Mr. Cole. This was the start of the greeting card business and almost every day of the year now has a special ‘Day’ for some stupid cause or another. The charities are now the biggest beneficiaries of this universal scam. There are now cards to celebrate every step of the humans’ existence; New Baby cards, Christening cards, Birthday cards, Communion and Confirmation cards, First Day at school cards, Graduation cards, Engagement cards, Get well cards New Job cards, Mass cards etc. etc. etc. It’s only a matter of time until we have Happy Divorce cards or Congratulations on your Failure cards.

Total load of horse manure to further increase the slope on the scales of the haves versus the have-nots. Reasons for celebration should be the idea of the individual and not that of a commercially motivated third party.

I like Christmas Day for the feeling that comes with turkey legs after copious amounts of strong drink, and visits of choice, incoming or outgoing. Shag the rest of it. Christmas cards I don’t send.

Still, if our Yankee cousins want to partake of a bronze turkey with all the trimmings more luck to them on this Thanksgiving Day. The only sentiment of my giving thanks today is the fact that I don’t live there.