Thanksgiving, A Holiday for the Frugal

Holidays can present quite the dilemma for the frugal minded. We long for simple celebrations and traditions, but are lured by the siren songs of retailers and the expectations of those around us. Almost every major holidays has become over commercialized, and there is always pressure to keep up with the neighbors. Not so with Thanksgiving. It is a holiday for the frugal at heart.

Retailers are not trying to convince us to fill our Thanksgiving table with gifts our children will soon toss aside. No one is promoting the filling of the cornucopia with candy or stuffed animals. We aren't even asked to buy our children fancy new clothes to strut about in on Thanksgiving Day. In fact, Thanksgiving is almost overlooked by the retail world.

The stars of the Thanksgiving holiday are simply food. It gets even better. The featured dishes are not exotic or expensive. They celebrate the bounty of the season prepared in a simple manner. When else does a humble turkey get top billing with cranberries as glimmering jewels on the side? Lowly bread becomes delicious stuffing, and potatoes are expected to complete our plates. Pumpkins, who were only objects to carve and discard a few short weeks ago, suddenly become a dessert super star. Simple and abundant foods reign at the Thanksgiving table.

Perhaps, in the minds of retailers, Thanksgiving has been eclipsed by bright lights and dreams of Christmas dollars. Perhaps that is something we should be thankful for. Soon enough the push for a spending frenzy will be here. Soon enough our children will be lusting for toys they won't play with. Soon enough we will fight to keep our holidays simple and frugal. But for now, let's remember how blessed we are, and enjoy this holiday that makes it easy to be frugal.

This post has been submitted to the November write-away contest hosted by Scribbit.
Photo credit: plaxocalendar