Thanksgiving Is Harder Than it Used to Be

My mom isn't having any fun and she needs us to know.

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Thanksgiving was held at my house yesterday. We don't host parties or friends more than once a year at most, so the fact we took out the fine china was a big deal. My mother, brother, and niece all attended dinner. We watched movies all day and discussed life, the universe, and everything else. My brother and I are generally deep thinkers and keep track of the latest scientific discoveries. Then, he and I discuss those discoveries at family gatherings.

My mom, however, has turned sour to most conversations that aren't complaining about life or how people “used to be.” You see, my mom is 67, divorced twice, and living in an east Texas town to be closer to my oldest brother. However, small-town life, it seems, isn't exactly what she thought it would be. So now, growing older, she's become more bitter, tired, and a curmudgeon. Nothing is ever correct. Fifteen years ago, when my wife first met my mom, she loved talking to her. Discussions about parenting, college, and family were enough. My kids are no longer young enough to accept everything an adult says at face value, and they now have their own opinions. At about the same time my kids were growing opinions, my mom divorced for the second time and sank into depression. Unable to pull herself out and refusing to refill her anxiety meds, having my mom around isn’t the best of times anymore.

I try to live my life never performing any of the three C’s:

1. Complain

2. Criticize

3. Compare

Now, it's just enough to make it through the weekend without a major religious argument or another round of “Please stop blaming abortions and gay people for all of the world’s problems.” She left this morning, Friday, and even though I miss her and still wish I could see her more often, I have to admit I'm glad she's gone.

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Each year, on the day after Thanksgiving, Americans descend on stores and malls and navigate to Amazon to buy as many Christmas presents as possible. We call this holiday “Black Friday" because when your company becomes profitable for the year, it's called “being in the black.” Due to the vast amounts of spending today, most companies will finally reach profitability for their fiscal year. However, in order to entice even more spending, retailers and sellers place everything on sale for steep discounts.

It's caused madness at times and even killed people. Stampeeds at store openings, broken into cars, and fights between parents over a child's toys were headline news every year. Nowadays, most retailers have moved to sales that last for weeks instead of one day in order to spread out the crowds and increase sales over a longer period. That's why you'll see “Black Friday Deals" that last for weeks or the entire holiday season.

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