Tis The Season To Be THANKFUL!

THIS POST WAS SITTING IN MY DRAFTS FROM A FEW WEEKS BACK.  I MUST HAVE FORGOTTEN ABOUT IT...STILL, IT IS APPLICABLE FOR THIS WEEK'S EVENTS!

OK, I am not afraid to say it....I hate when people jump the gun on upcoming holidays before a then-current holiday is experienced.  PET. PEEVE!

As I was making my way to the train this morning, I was inundated with the excessive Christmas advertising on the radio.  And then, when I hit up Starbucks later in the day, I realized they are already utilizing the Christmas, excuse me, "holiday" cups that just so happen to be red with subtle hints of the Christmas season: such as snowflakes, etc. 

While I do love Christmas time and everything about it, the point is that we are skipping over a very important holiday - THANKSGIVING! 

This is way too important of a day to be overlooked by marketers.  C'mon, people!  It already has such a limited window of exposure with Halloween and Black Friday (do not even get me started on that.....), let us not forget what this day actually means!

Be THANKFUL for everything in your life - your family, your health, your happiness, your successes, even your failures - for they allow you continued growth.  If nothing else, be thankful for your very existence, am I right?!

And in addition to being thankful for what you have in your life, let's go ahead and keep those who are less fortunate top of mind why don't we?  Do you plan on making 500 pounds of food this week, only to come to the realization that you have way more leftovers than would be deemed necessary to feed an army?  Maybe donate some of that good fortune?  Or maybe use your time to volunteer for an hour instead of baking that 3rd (and most likely unnecessary) pie?

Food drives are such an easy way to make sure you are contributing to a necessary and worthwhile cause.  Head over to Time Out Chicago for some great ideas on how you can get involved (if you are local).  Other national organizations like The Salvation Army and No Kid Hungry are always active and a great resource for various programs that allow you to give back as well, no matter the time of year!

WOW - I really went off on a tangent there....  Sorry!

Here's to all of us having a happy and enjoyable time this week with friends and family!  But please.... do take the opportunity to be THANKFUL before we hop right into Christmas.....