Thanksgiving – The Book of Think Pieces

Written by: Preston Thompson

I would like to take the time out to be thankful. I am thankful every day, but to go with the theme of Thanksgiving, I figured I wanted to express my thankfulness with writing and blogging.

First and foremost, I would like to thank God for granting me life daily and gifting me with the means to write. Next, I am thankful for my wife and son who always support me through my dreams for our family. They are my biggest supporters, and we love each other equally. I am excited to be on this journey with you and look forward to the future. There is no other way I want to spend Thanksgiving to be with you now and forever. To my mom, sister, and family members who are also my biggest supporters, I thank you all. I wish I could sit here and name each and every one of you, but that would take up so much space and time. So, I thank you all. To my in-laws, thank you for taking me in as one of your own. To my friends, thank you for always being there for me as I have returned the favor. To my job, thank you for working with me during the good and difficult times and allowing me to utilize my Chemistry degree with silicone chemistry. My home church, thank you for supporting me. I know I have not been around since my grandparents died, but just know I have each of you in my heart and use your teachings to live a good life. And last but not least, to all my Book of Think Pieces fans and supports, thank you. Yes, we are small, but small with quality is good enough for me. I wish you all the best in your future endeavors.

And to anyone I missed, thank you all for being a part of my life. On this Thanksgiving Day, I pray you all have peace as you are celebrating this day with your loved ones. Even if you cannot be there this year, just think of all the good times you have and make an effort to be with them someday in the future.

I thank you all for the support. Please take care of yourself, your mental health and each other.

The end.

I Tried Waiting for Thanksgiving to Start Listening to Christmas Music, but…

…I failed! And this year it happened three days after Halloween. Let me explain.

It was the day after Halloween. The Spiderman costumes were stored away. The candy bowl still filled with treats. No more children ringing the doorbell for their trick or treat candy. My family peacefully sleeping. I, on the other hand, was sitting in my car preparing to drive to work. The heat inside was set to a comfortable setting while the temperature outside was cool that morning. Here I am scrolling through Apple Music finding good music to listen to before the drive. I took a sip of iced coffee and pressed the “Search” image on the app. The search page appeared on screen, and there it was! A box with a purple background with Christmas lights in the top right corner titled “Holiday.”

“Should I?” I asked myself while taking another sip of iced coffee. “No, it’s too early for Christmas music. Like besides, Halloween just ended. Let Thanksgiving come first, then play all the Christmas music I want from that day until New Year’s.” I pressed the “R&B” box, found a suitable playlist for my drive, and drove to work.

Work was busy that day. Test after test, an endless cycle. Around 1:00 p.m. I took my lunch break. The room was empty as I sat at a table near the exit and begam to check Facebook. The first thing I saw was one of my friends posted he started listening to Christmas music today and does not care what anyone thinks. “Ok, is Facebook listening to my thoughts?” I asked myself. “These algorithms are getting too personal nowadays.”

Two days later I repeated the same cycle before leaving for work. As I took a sip of iced coffee inside of my car, I pressed the Apple Music app in search of music. Pressing on the “Search” image, and there read the word “Holiday.” This day I actually pressed it and the first thing I saw on its page is “Christmas Playlist.” Below this title read “Essential Christmas.” I press on the playlist, and the first song I see is Mariah Carey “All I Want for Christmas is You.” Memories of Christmases pass began to flood my thoughts. I can never escape this song. From a kid to man, I never missed a Christmas season where I did not hear this song. I have heard it so much a few years ago I stopped singing along to Mariah Carey and just sing with the background singers. And here I am three weeks later still playing Christmas songs.

And this would be the day I began listening to Christmas music this year. Three weeks before Thanksgiving, four days after Halloween. I tried to stay strong, but it is the Holiday season.

What about you? When do you normally start listening to Christmas music? After Thanksgiving? The week of Thanksgiving? At the start of November? Year around?

Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays