The holiday glut

When the house was lit with a glowing arrangement of sparkle a few weeks ago, I assumed somebody had gotten the jump on their Christmas decorations. Curious (it’s a trait that gets me in trouble every so often), I turned down the street to see.

Nope. This house was illuminated with Halloween lights. A haunted house, a witch outline in lights, lots of jack-o-lanterns - these people had laid out some big bucks for a light show in October.

They weren’t alone. I saw another light-bill-budget-busting house a few blocks over, and another just down the road from our house.

You’ve probably noticed it, too. Halloween is now big business. We laughed at how quickly the Halloween décor was swept off the shelves on November 1, shoved aside by the Christmas stuff.

“So why aren’t there light shows for Thanksgiving?” my son asked me. A search of Walmart revealed very little that was Thanksgiving-themed.

That intrigues me.

There’s no room for Thanksgiving between the glut of candy at Halloween and the glut of gifts of Christmas. (Isn’t it funny, by the way, that we tend to be gluttons of food at Thanksgiving? What's with the glut thing?)

But no follower of Jesus needs to follow the marketing trends. Merchandisers are in business to make a profit but that doesn’t need to form my decisions. I can follow my heart and I want to make room to give thanks. I want to celebrate God’s graciousness and remember his provision. I hope you’ll join me!