Thanksgiving is in nine days. Nine days from now people will be gathering together with their families, eating food, and talking about the things they’re thankful for. Happens every year here in the U.S. .

I say in the U.S., because for some reason this was the first year it occurred to me that not everyone celebrates Thanksgiving. I know, I know. I judged me too. As well as, gave myself all sorts of internal smacks in the head for not thinking. It was a Scooby. Totally got me to thinking….wait, so other countries don’t take a moment to be thankful for anything? Other places on the globe don’t have a national holiday dedicated to the thoughtfulness and appreciation of their life and the people that are in it? How sad.

But then I got to thinking about that day. That ONE day a year that we all come together, join our families, for one meal that typically last for only a few hours. Started thinking about what I’ve experienced on that day and the days leading up to it. How we’ll see posts on social media about all the things we’re thankful and grateful for. Our health, our family, our homes and the people in our lives, our salvation, etc.

Gotta admit, my eyes rolled a bit while I typed that. Because in the same breath, on the same platforms, we’ll see posts complaining about how horrible it is to put up with our relatives for a few hours on one day a year. How not to make Thanksgiving turn into a political argument. Things you can do to avoid family entirely.

And truthfully, I think about that and I can honestly say, I don’t think Americans are thankful for much. Not truly.

Sure, we go through the motions, we cook the bird, mumble something about the Indians we saved, thank our heavenly father, then stuff our faces, all under the guise of being thankful; once a year, every year, for a few hours. But that’s it. Just words and a time commitment that some struggle to even make it to. We say we should be thankful for the meal because some people in the world don’t have food to eat. But it’s not like the thought of that makes us chew any slower. We’re not relishing each bite. Quite the contrary.

We spend one day, if we’re lucky, actually thinking and feeling about being thankful for the people and things in our life. But outside of that, we sure the hell don’t show it any other time. Let alone think about it any other time of the year. In fact, we tend to avoid hanging out with our family like the plague throughout the rest of the year, save some other major holiday. Sure there will always be some reading this and internally defending themselves with how much time they spend with family and that’s fine, whatever. But I question it. Question how thankful, grateful, and appreciative we are. Simply because I’ve seen something a bit different. Something I think is unique. Uncustomary.

Where, in some places on the globe, people meet EVERY week. Once a week, for what they call, Wine Night.

They may not realize it, but it’s the equivalent to our Thanksgiving. Friends and family all meet at one place, there’s tons of food, drink, music, games, and laughter. Every week, once a week. 

What’s unique about it, is there is no complaining about having to show up. No one is dreading it. They actually look forward to it. They look forward to seeing each other once a week and hanging out with their family. It’s so weird. Sure, they have their disagreements. Ya, they roll through the occasional argument. 

No, they don’t sit around droning on and on about what they’re thankful for. There isn’t a “Let’s go around the table and say what we’re thankful for”, etc. It’s not rehearsed. It’s not fake. There’s none of that. Because they don’t have to. They show it. They show how thankful they are. They show how grateful they are. They show their appreciation and love for each other. With their actions. With their presence. With their willingness to take time out of their day, once a week, every week, for a few hours, to catch up, connect, and enjoy the presence of the people they know and love.

What a beautiful thing. Truly. Say what you want about other cultures, they got this right.

Maybe in the past the Thanksgiving holiday was enough for us to carry that feeling of gratitude and appreciation throughout the year? But whatever it was, whatever we had, I think we’ve lost it. And in some ways I question whether or not we ever had it. We sure the hell haven’t had anything like Wine Night here in the States. And for those families that have, it’s not commonly known.

So maybe, just maybe, this year for Thanksgiving you choose to look at the holiday a bit different. Maybe instead of simply going through the motions and dreading the holiday you can consider the time you have left on this planet and give the ones in your life that you claim to care about their due. And maybe, if you’re lucky, create a Wine Night of your own, with your own family. Then have something to look forward to and be thankful for every week.

 

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