Ready for Thanksgiving, all year long

Goodbye Halloween. Hello … no, no, no, Christmas, wait your turn. I love you and your Reese’s chocolate and peanut butter Christmas trees and all, but you and the jolly old elf need to wait your turn. So hello Thanksgiving, and welcome for the whole month (months plural, in my opinion), and not just the last Thursday of November.

Halloween always has a good, solid run through the month of October. I’ll admit, I kind of enjoy the buildup to the scary night - even watched a couple of those scream movies on the television this year - and Sunday afternoon as I hit some of the trick or treat events in Bella Vista (no, I was gathering photos, not candy, for this edition) I enjoyed seeing kids young and old dressed up in cute, creative and sometimes very scary costumes.

I even saw a small dog dressed up as baby Yoda.

At least I think it was a small dog. You don’t think, nah, surely not.

Sunday was a beautiful day and, when it was all said and done, the day had simply reverted back to a replica of the old days of Sunday drives. And yes, for an afternoon I truly was a “Sunday driver,” and may have even been called that (or worse) a time or two while Ruby and I wound our way from Lake Avalon to Lake Ann and Lake Brittany, three landmarks I had yet to see in person.

Before continuing I should make it clear that Ruby is my Ford Fusion, named Ruby because of its deep red color and in honor of the character who runs the sheriff’s office in the series “Longmire,” which is by far one of the best western-ish television series ever conceived and one that ended far too soon. My previous ride, a Toyota Rav4, was named Walt, the sheriff in said series.

So Ruby and I traversed the Bella Vista countryside in search of any number of ghosts and ghouls and sights previously unseen to us. We spotted many, as well as a Lake Brittany heron and even Don Goings, who really isn’t a ghost or ghoul or previously unseen sight, but actually an acquaintance and fellow church member from back in the day over in Harrison.

His stringer was empty as he packed up following an afternoon of fishing, but I got the impression his day on the bank was relaxing and enjoyable even after losing out to the bream, bass and crappie.

It was just that kind of a day.

And so now as we pack up the jack o’ lanterns, spider webbing, zombie masks and face paint, it’s time to welcome our old friend Thanksgiving.

I love Thanksgiving. I don’t try to push it aside for Christmas decorations and a quick leap into Black Friday. There will be time for all that business, for the Christmas carols and eggnog and dashing through the shopping aisles.

Let’s not rush past Thanksgiving. And no, it’s not because I want to stretch out the turkey and dressing, the all day football on the tube or the indecision between pecan or pumpkin pie. (That’s a no-brainer, actually. Just go with both like I usually end up doing.) But what’s so special about Thanksgiving is, well, thankfulness. It’s about being thankful for what you’ve got, even if it’s not much. It’s about being thankful for your family, even if the memories outnumber the family members anymore. It’s about taking the time to count your blessings, and to name them one by one.

Days like Sunday remind me about being thankful. It wasn’t hard to count blessings one by one as the crisp fall afternoon flowed in through the open sunroof. It was just a good day, and I was thankful to live it.

I’m fine with our holidays. I love some more

than others, like most people I guess. But my goal moving forward is to celebrate a Thanksgiving Day every day, like I did Sunday, and not just the last Thursday in November.

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Bennett Horne is the managing editor of The Weekly Vista. He can be reached via email at bhorne@nwaonline.com. Opinions expressed are those of the author.