>>>FWIW, the same can be said of other holidays...the 4th (unless you consider shooting off fireworks to be a big tribute to the great freedom we have in this country), Thanksgiving (is anyone thankful anymore?), and Christmas.
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>>IMO, Thanksgiving is the only holiday that hasn't been overly commercialized.
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>Yep.
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>>I spend that time to be around my family and remember all the things I'm thankful for.
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>We do the same; but I wonder about the general populace. Maybe (hopefully) most people do as you said.
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>>As for the others, you're right. They've lost their original meaning.

Steve;

Thanksgiving and Christmas are big events for our family.

As a kid I would stay up and help my mother until we finished all the work to prepare the meal. We would not get to bed until 4 or 5 AM. I was placed in charge of making pies at age 10 as I was very good at this. Then the Turkey would go in the oven around 9 AM and my brother and I would watch a football game on TV while all the great aromas would emanate from the kitchen. Typically we had a 25 pound Turkey so it took a while before it was ready. We suffered while we enjoyed all the great oders.

Today, with our Jenn Air Oven we smell nothing – it is air tight! What a gyp! I miss all the great smells! All this in the name of progress!

I have great respect for anyone who prepares a large family meal such as Thanksgiving. It is hard work and no fun. I like to cook but it is a lot of work. When I get through with the kitchen, my wife complains she has to clean the mess. I just tell her I am the “Executive Chef”. She is not willing to buy that though! She is still trying to train me to “be neat”! What is that? That would take away all my creativity in the kitchen?

Programming is much like cooking. You better test your results unless you want complaints!

Tom