on giving thanks

it is the friday before thanksgiving. i am at work. there is something wrong with this picture. i am pretty sure that trying to focus on anything work related when thanksgiving is on the horizon is a pretty futile mission, because all i can think about is a 4 day weekend, the delicious bourbon apple pie i plan to bake, and lounging around with my family while my body deals with all the tryptophan i intend to load it up with. since next week will be a short work week, i'm also pretty sure it will be a small miracle to get me to accomplish anything, but apparently other people around here don't think that the whole world needs to stop for an entire week just so i can eat 19 pounds of turkey. i haven't even eaten any turkey today and my eyelids feel like i have weights attached to them, so how i am going to make it through next wednesday is beyond me. i just wish that all the stores hadn't totally overlooked thanksgiving and gone straight into the christmas hoopla - i've never entirely understood why this happens every year. the day after halloween has apparently become the day when stores indulge themselves in a christmas free-for-all, and the second the witches and goblins come down, the christmas trees and jolly elves go up in their place. i hope all the pilgrims and cornacopia decorations that get relegated to the bottom shelf aren't too upset about this (because i know i would be), but i guess the tacky holiday decorations/useless crap you don't need industries feel like christmas is a bigger money maker than poor old thanksgiving. hello, does the president PARDON anyone at christmastime? no. does the city of new york shut itself down to parade 45 foot inflatable cartoon characters down the street on christmas? NO. do sales the day after christmas inspire people to camp out in front of department stores at ungodly hours just so that they can save a few bucks on a flat screen tv? NO. so why all this rush to get to christmas? i mean, i flippin LOVE me some christmas, but i love thanksgiving, too, so i just don't get why we are always in such a rush to blow through a perfectly lovely holiday (so what if it's really just an excuse to eat more in one sitting than one should consume in a week??) to get to the next one. chill out, people. the year will be over in about 5 minutes anyway, so slow your asses down and let me enjoy it while it lasts. because god knows once new year's has come and gone, i will actually have to start getting some work done, and we all know how much of a good time THAT is.