Only for Americans

I’m an Australian who lives in the Middle East. During a travel stopover in Bangkok, I received a social-media message from a Filipino friend wishing me a happy Thanksgiving.

Now, I’m a great one for celebrations, and I like to see other people happy. Be it Eid, Christmas or Diwali, or any other religious festival, or a national day, I’m happy to acknowledge the occasion with those who hold it dear. But Thanksgiving is a tricky one.

Many years ago, I did the whole turkey with cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie thing in New England. And that was appropriate because I was in the Untied States of America with very gracious American hosts.

Thanksgiving is an exclusively American holiday, celebrating a seminal event in that nation’s history. It really has no relevance to non Americans who don’t live in America.

And like most holidays, it has become a huge commercial event, with consumption of food going off the scale, and millions of  people paying many millions of dollars on travel so they can share the occasion with far-flung family and friends. And then there’s the related shopping orgy known as Black Friday.

I’m more than happy to fly a star-spangled banner on July 4 with my American friends, and break bread with them on Thanksgiving in appropriate circumstances. But for two people who aren’t American to exchange Thanksgiving greetings just doesn’t make a lot of sense to me.

If it’s simply about being thankful, well I’m just pleased that I’m here to write this and to have some wonderful people in my life, every day of the year. I don’t need to go shopping to prove that.