American society has started celebrating Christmas earlier and earlier. There were Halloween and Christmas decorations in the stores for weeks at the same time. The Hallmark Channel begins their Christmas movie marathons in October and other channels have FOMO (fear of missing out) so they followed suite. We can already hear Christmas music in some places. What’s ironic to me is the uproar over retail stores being open on Thanksgiving although the holiday has been skipped over in so many other ways. I won’t get on my soapbox about the hypocrisy of condemning families from shopping together on Thanksgiving Day (even though not everyone celebrates the holiday) but have no problem with families going to restaurants, movie theaters, or sporting events together. I’m sure those cashiers and other staff would like to spend time at home with their families as well. (That was a bit of a soapbox, wasn’t it? LOL!)
Anyway…Thanksgiving is Thursday, November 24, 2022.
The Christmas holiday season does not begin for me until AFTER Santa Claus ends the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. I will not listen to Christmas music until the day after Thanksgiving – then it’s on and poppin! This year BET has a holiday movie on Thanksgiving evening that I may watch. Lifetime, OWN, and BET have the diversity I require in my holiday programming. Although Hallmark Channel seems to be the undisputed Christmas movie champion, I will only watch Hallmark Channel Christmas movies with BIPOC main characters. And although I feel like the Hallmark Channel casting is performative and predictable, I watch them because I love Christmas movies. Hmmm…it may really be time to stop complaining and write that Thanksgiving/fall harvest holiday script.
Thanksgiving is a great reminder to express appreciation for the people, places, and things in our lives. Gratitude is a powerful emotion that allows us to focus on the good. Gratitude makes life more enjoyable. An attitude of gratitude usually allows us to uncover additional things to be grateful for. And the world needs more positive energy, thoughts, and emotions to drown out the inundation of negativity.
Although I realize that the second paragraph expresses the opposite of gratitude, I am inviting you to celebrate a week of gratitude beginning tomorrow. From Thursday, November 17, 2022, through Thursday, November 24, 2022, we will use social media to express gratitude for different blessings in our lives. Join me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or LinkedIn to participate.
REMINDER: I am grateful for YOU!
I know you’re also grateful for family and friends but we’re going to get more specific during Gratitude Week.
Nicki Sanders, MSW, ushers high-performing women of color in mid-level social work and human services leadership through promotion to senior leadership. As Founder and CEO of Nicki Sanders Leadership Consulting, her mission is simple – to eliminate toxic workplaces by developing skilled, empathetic, and goal-oriented leaders who have the vision, support, and resources to create a culture where business prospers, and employees thrive individually and collectively. Nicki has an extensive background in nonprofit management leading high-functioning, multi-disciplinary teams. She is an accomplished professor, coach, trainer, and group facilitator who has combined her gift for authentic relationships, Master of Social Work degree, and over 20 years of diverse work experience to create a life and career aligned with her values and purpose. Nicki is a lover of cupcakes, travel, and 80’s hip hop and R&B music.
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