Just like Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas Is You and The Pogue’s Fairytale of New York have become Christmas staples, so should these two pop hits become Thanksgiving music: Alainis Morrisette’s Thank U and Sly and The Family Stone’s Thank You (Falletinme Be Mice Elf Agin).
It’s kind of unfortunate in a way how the liturgical church calendar shakes out this year. With Christmas on a Sunday, week 1 of Advent is pushed all the way back to Nov 27, the first Sunday after Thanksgiving, which means that we won’t have an actual Thanksgiving-themed week (Nov 20, being the last week of ordinary time, is the feast of Christ the King). So they kind of wedged “Come Ye Thankful People Come” into the offertory; that’s all we get this year. Next week we bring out the Advent hymns, not that I’m complaining.
I also always thought of the song “Home for the Holidays” as being something I’d hear more around Thanksgiving than Christmas. (Although all the YouTube hits seem to be Christmas-themed.)
Turkey roasting on an open fire
Gravy clogging up your veins
mincemeat pie being baked til it’s hot
And people watching football games