What happened to Thanksgiving?

Am I the only one that gets a bit miffed with the idea that the Christmas merchandise comes out the minute Halloween is over? What happened to Thanksgiving?

Yes, Christmas is nice. It's a great holiday. I love the idea of Santa and his Elves sitting around with the Reindeer playing games and waiting for their big moment to deliver toys to children around the globe. I can't wait for the Rankin and Bass movies to start- heck, I own the Rankin and Bass movies for my daughter to watch.

However, Thanksgiving is a holiday too. The fact that FDR pushed it from the last Thursday of November to the third Thursday of the month to extend the Christmas shopping period doesn't make me like it any less. Thanksgiving is the holiday where the family gets together on the actual day.

It doesn't have the "pressure" of Christmas, it has great food, the weather is still semi-okay and you don't have to worry so much about traveling.

Doesn't anyone remember "Over the River and Thru the Woods to Grandmother's House we Go?" A Thanksgiving song thank you very much. How about a Charlie Brown Thanksgiving? I mean who doesn't love seeing that ping pong table and chairs attack Snoopy?

Who decided to take Thanksgiving out of the holdiay season? Who decided that Christmas was the only portion of the holiday season of which homage should be paid?

The commercialism of holidays is bad enough. I mean, President's Day Sales for crying out loud! But still, something rubs me even more when I don't even see an acknowledgement of Thanksgiving.

Yes, Thanksgiving isn't all great if you go back in history far enough. I'm glad I wasn't part of the landing settlers or the first native people to meet them. Still, I enjoy Thanksgiving for the idea it embodies, family coming together. Either the one you're born into, or the one you choose as you get older. Or if you're lucky, both.

There was reason Ben Franklin wanted the national bird to be the turkey.

I, for one, won't be decorating, listening to, or watching any type of Christmas stuff until the day after Thanksgiving. It's too bad the retailers won't follow me.