If you ever get annoyed by the Thanksgiving thing, given the bullshit by the Puritans, and you just don't want to anymore, but your family needs that whole get together for renewal and feasting and whatnot in the fall, I invite you to celebrate Lughnasadh (today) or Mabon (the autumn equinox) as a harvest instead. I'm personally pushing for a Mabon celebration with my family, with you know, pushback, but thankfully I'm annoying and don't give up often, but you know. There are alternatives.
@Countessa They keep coming at me with Thanksgiving being about gratitude, but it feels like an empty gratitude full of distortions you have to reach by denying history. I just can't feel anything good about the day, since I was a teen. The neo-pagan versions feel more pure and accepting of the bounty earth provides without any taint. So far the only support I've had is from Joe, my man, who simply wants me to serve him turkey on all three occasions, due to his love of turkey flesh.
@tippitiwichet I do love the traditional meal myself, though the meat isn’t my main thing. Since I don’t know the family dynamics I can’t know if it could actually be feasible to push, little by little every year if you can stand it, towards the less distorted celebration. Good luck with it.
@tippitiwichet thanksgiving is annoying, but November really needs a holiday, (all months need a holiday- Lughnasadh and Mabon could be added). How about reworking it to a harvest holiday and /or a celebration of gratitude without all the historical baggage and commercialism? That would leave room for traditional meals and get togethers.