Thanksgifting? Isn’t that a typo?
Nope. It’s one of my favorite holiday celebrations.
Like Seinfeld’s made up holiday, Festivus, this holiday
celebration is a recent invention. Unlike Festivus, there is no airing of
grievances; just lots of good food, and most importantly, lots of presents.
The staff and volunteers at Kingstowne Library have been Thanksgifting for close to ten years. No one remembers exactly how it started, but
everyone looks forward to it every year.
This is how Thanksgifting works. Everyone buys a toy that
they would have liked to receive when they were a child. The gift is wrapped
and stacked in a bow and tinsel covered pile. Everyone takes a turn unwrapping
a gift and then guessing who donated it. After a few Thanksgifting
celebrations, it was easy to guess that Ted was crazy about Matchbox cars and
action figures when he was a little boy. Lori, who had horses when she was a
girl, always donated a toy with a horse theme. Most people have figured out
that whenever a gift is accompanied by a Nancy Drew book, it’s from me.
Some staff are a bit harder to pin down, or they just want
to keep us guessing. The unwrapping is usually followed by a reminiscence about
holidays past. We have learned a lot about each other over the years by sharing
these memories.
In the weeks between Halloween and New Year’s Day, it is
easy to feel more stressed out than festive. Thanksgifting is one day when
giving really feels better than receiving.
What’s your favorite holiday? What is the one gift that you
would have liked to receive when you were a child?
