Except if you’re a Filipino living in the States, Pinoys generally don’t observe Thanksgiving. For me at least, I’ve only been directly affected by that American holiday when I worked for an inbound call center more than a decade ago. It’s one of those rare times of the year when reps rejoice because of the low call volume.
A relative in the US told me that Thanksgiving Day, which is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November, is a big deal for most Americans as Christmas Day would be for us Filipinos. Families gather together for a Thanksgiving feast of large roast turkey with stuffing and cranberry sauce. They usually have enough leftovers to last them for many days, that people in the office and in school would get sick of eating turkey in sandwiches, salads, casserole, pie, etc.
Another one of their age-old traditions is watching the NYC Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade in the morning and the NFL in mid-afternoon.
After which they wait for Black Friday, the Friday following Thanksgiving Day. It’s the official start of the Christmas shopping season where many retail stores are on sale. I heard how a lot of people would camp out the stores to get the first dibs on the sale items. In recent years, Cyber Monday became a thing. It’s the Monday following Thanksgiving when retailers encourage people to shop online, to probably prevent frantic shoppers from raiding the stores on Black Friday.
“Parang mga baliw!” (They’re crazy!) — an older cousin (who had been in the US since the late `70s) once said, obviously not one to risk stampede for sale items.
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If it’s just about spending time with family and friends over food, we have Noche Buena, Medya Noche and town fiestas for that.
If it’s about dashing to stores for sale, duh—we have that too. Make that all weekends from the beginning of ‘-ber’ months.
Turkey? I bet lechon is waaaay better.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not being a Thanksgiving grinch here like Chandler Bing. I’m not even going to burst your festive bubble by telling you about the genocide and slaughter behind the commemoration of this holiday. Instead, I’m here more to say that whether we celebrate it or not, one thing rings true: We should always focus on giving thanks for all our blessings.
My heart is full of gratitude that every day for me is actually Thanksgiving Day. No matter how tough circumstances may have been for me at times, I begin and end my day thanking the Lord for all the blessings, graces, lessons, hope and even trials that He gives me. Thanksgiving is not just for answered prayers because I know how some unanswered prayers lead us to a better way based on His grand plan.
Remember: A grateful heart is a happy and contented heart.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
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