Long time no post, blog!
I'm watching A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving a day late and I don't care. While I don't think the Thanksgiving special is as good as the Great Pumpkin or the amazing Christmas special, the Thanksgiving one has its own set of joys. It has the usual Snoopy antics, the consistent worry of Charlie Brown, and the fun of characters like Peppermint Patty ("We'll keep these intimate feelings between us, Chuck"), Lucy (Always the trickster), and Marcy ("What do you think, sir?") Ever since I was young, I've loved the Charlie Brown holiday trilogy and I hope my love for it remains for the rest of my life.
Something Lucy says early on in the special got me thinking. The quote of the blog post refers to the proposed tradition of kicking the football before every Thanksgiving, which Charlie Brown believes and of which suffers the consequences. But what got me thinking is how things change and stay the same, almost always simultaneously. For example, holidays always look and feel different for different individuals, but it seems there are always consistent feelings toward the holiday season. Some people get all excited and happy during the season, while others are prone towards loneliness and alienation. It makes me think of a quote from the film Enemy at the Gates, "We tried so hard to create a society that was equal, where there'd be nothing to envy your neighbor. But there's always something to envy, a smile, a friendship, something you don't have and want to appropriate. In this world, even a Soviet one, there will always be rich and poor. Rich in gifts, poor in gifts. Rich in love, poor in love." I think that the holiday season brings about rich and poor in immaterial ways. Some people are rich in love, with families and friends surrounding them. Others are poor in love, feeling little to no community or warmth from those around them. I think our response to this should be two-fold. I think everyone ought to examine their own life in order to recognize the richness and poorness around them. Maybe you're feeling lonely because you don't have any significant other. Maybe that person you care for doesn't care back. Maybe someone in your family died recently. Maybe everything is going really great for you and you have an abundance of joy. Maybe you won't shed a single tear of sorrow this December. Regardless, I think it wise if we all remember to count the joys in our lives and also be mindful of the pain around us. Ultimately, I think Marcy sums it up well:
"Thanksgiving is more than eating, Chuck...we should just be thankful for being together. I think that's what they mean by 'thanksgiving.'"
