Holiday Madness

It isn't even Thanksgiving yet and already they are playing Christmas music on the radio. The Christmas trees have arrived in Hawaii. The city is putting up the decorations in time for the City Lights parade. The stores are heavily advertising Black Friday which will begin late Thanksgiving. I even overheard someone wishing another person "Merry Christmas" !

This is crazy!

An employee of one of the stores participating in Black Friday has started a petition not to open the stores on Thanksgiving because it cuts into their holiday time with their families.  Good for him!

Thanksgiving Day is a day to remember to give thanks to God for all our blessings. No matter how many problems and crosses each one of us has, we have so many things for which to be grateful.  How meaningful will our thanks be if we rush through Thanksgiving anxious to get on that ever growing line, waiting for the stores to open their door?  Do you really think we will find peace and tranquility while we wait?

Our families will benefit more with being together; leisurely enjoying each others company. Instead of leaving the festivities early to go the store that night,  perhaps we should go to bed early so we can attend early morning Mass. There are so many meaningful ways to prepare for Christmas and the first should be preparing ourselves this Advent.

I wish there would be a rush to get inside the church's doors for Mass on the Friday after Thanksgiving. It is still a holiday for most people but the traffic is heavy at the early hour when I go to Mass. Sad to say, that most of them are heading to a Black Friday sale while our Lord waits patiently for them to visit Him.

He's waiting for us to visit Him.