CoffeeTime: “THANKSGIVING; A TIME TO SAVE!”

Everybody knows finances are tight today. Now, one can only hope against hope that by the time this column hits your hands, the sentence I just wrote is a lie. That by some miracle the ever-escalating balloon of inflation in our country has run into a sharp knife and rapidly became a splattered has-been on the ground. I’m hoping all of us are crowding the stores, once again stocking our pantries and keeping our credit cards smoking. 

Yeah, I know, the eternal optimist.

But let me leave that topic for a few paragraphs, because this eternal optimist wants to take you on a trip into the very near future – Thanksgiving Day. You remember it - the Feast To End All Feasts, or unfortunately in some households, the Fight To End All Fights. 

Now I could wax eloquent on the true meaning of that holiday, our gratefulness for blessings, the chance to gather around a groaning table, being with loved ones, and thanking our Creator for His presence in our lives.

I could, but not this time.

This time I choose to tell a very different truth, one that I fear smacks way too many folks right in their face. That truth? Thanksgiving Day means Christmas Day is only twenty-seven panicky, stressful days away! 

Honestly, with that thought, who can relax enough to sit down at the dining room table and peacefully gorge themselves on Lucy’s homemade noodles and Uncle Roger’s deep-fried turkey, followed by six slices of Mom’s pecan pie. Knowing that marathon days of working your regular job, housecleaning, grocery shopping, Christmas parties, and expensive gift-buying are getting ready to descend on you like a ton of bricks falling off a freight train. 

But, let me be your champion, your hero, your lifesaver! Ready for a thought-provoking idea that could rescue you from some of that dreaded drudgery?  

Here it is; on Thanksgiving Day, by all means, bake your favorite green-bean casserole, whip up those deviled eggs, and sail into Grandma’s house with a smile or a frown for everyone there. Be the life of the party, or the grouch in the corner – whatever makes you comfortable. Eat, drink, and play your part in that scenario. 

But. After you have cleaned your overloaded plate for the last time, make your move. Deliberately lean forward, clear your throat, and then loudly proclaim that this presidential election was bogus, all kinds of cheating has been proven, and you are more than ready to take on anyone who is ready to challenge what you just said.

I almost guarantee you this; your next twenty-seven days will miraculously clear themselves of a lot of clutter. Oh sure, you will still have to appear at work every day, but many family Christmas get-togethers could likely disappear, and all the pressure of obligatory gift-buying could shrink to an all-time low.

Inflation or not, you will save some of your money. Despised in the family maybe, but you could relax in your recliner a lot more.