Hold on to your holly

There were still deposits of strange makeup in a few hard-to-reach places. Choice candy bars rested atop the trick-or-treat haul. And the jack-o'-lantern still had a good week or so to go before it would decay into a reeking pulp.

And yet, there it was: a smarmy Christmas commercial for Kay Jewelers, where every kiss begins with K - and ends with a maxed-out credit card.

Kay wasn't the only perpetrator. The Gap's annoying cheer factory was pumping out bilious chants about the pressing need to stuff stockings before Veterans Day. Kmart, Wal-Mart, and Hyundai were hot on their heels with must-shop-now Christmas advertisements. It was enough to make you want to pull an Elvis and karate-kick the television.

For more than 400 years, Americans have celebrated Thanksgiving in one form or another. George Washington began the official commemoration of the holiday, which traced its roots to the pilgrims and other early settlers, by dedicating the fourth Thursday of November 1789 as the fledgling nation's first recognized day of Thanksgiving.

The holiday was established by a presidential decree in 1863, when Abraham Lincoln set the precedent for an annual recognition. Lincoln noted that, despite being mired in a bloody civil war, the United States had much to give thanks for: population growth, peace with foreign countries, abundant crops, and copious natural resources. In 1941, Congress made Thanksgiving a federal holiday with the goal of promoting unity and reminding the American people of the many blessings they enjoy.

Until more recent years, the time between Halloween and Thanksgiving served as a respite before the invasion of Christmas consumerism. Companies that advertised before Thanksgiving were considered aggressive or, worse, indecent.

It was a quiet season. Students prepared for exams. Leaves fell and were raked. Refrigerators were stocked. Alumni traded barbs about the coming football games. Travelers made arrangements to be home with their families. People thought of the things they were grateful for.

But now Thanksgiving has been reduced to a barely recognizable autumnal speed bump. Sadly, a look through the thinning newspapers or a surf through the expanding roster of cable channels will reveal that the holiday is threatened by no less than a hostile takeover by Christmas.

Advertisements and the general commercialization that accompanies Christmas now dominate the season as soon as Halloween is over. The time that should be spent giving thanks for the freedom and comforts we enjoy is given over to weeks of must-not-miss deals. Under this barrage of reminders to buy things, one is hard-pressed to recall that the country is stuck in a major recession, with unemployment at 10 percent.

Enough. It is time to reclaim this holiday and rededicate ourselves to appreciating its meaning. Here are a few suggestions for taking back Thanksgiving:

Write an e-mail or a letter to thank the brave men and women serving in the military.

Thank teachers, nurses, police officers, or firefighters for their work. They are grossly undercompensated for it.

Volunteer at a soup kitchen, a homeless shelter, or an after-school mentoring program.

Donate to charities. Money is always needed and accepted. Canned goods, clothing, and time are worthy substitutes.

Invite a coworker or a down-on-his-luck relative - unfortunately, there are plenty of them in the current economy - to your table for Thanksgiving.

Enjoy some time with family and friends.

Let's return Thanksgiving to the prominence it deserves. It shouldn't be reduced to a cheap ritual of eat, belch, shop, repeat.