Each year at this time we gather round a tasty bird — roasted or fried — to give thanks for the things that are most important, like faith, family and health, to the small things like football and other forms of entertainment.

As a child, it was a good time to get some great food, take a few days off from school and spend time with family. The additional allotment of time also gave me ample opportunities to freshen up on my gaming skills - be it the original Nintendo or PlayStation.

Life's clock is always moving forward and things do change. But one thing is very noticeable in my eyes, and this question sums it up pretty good.

Does it seem like the Christmas season moves earlier each year?

I remember when my family actually placed a number of Thanksgiving decorations around our home. Those days are long gone, but we began putting up our Christmas tree a week or two after "turkey day."

Not to say that beginning your holiday season is a bad thing - do what you do - but in essence jumping the gun makes me wonder about whether the holiday is more important to us than its meaning.

Thanksgiving is more than the Pilgrims and Indians gathering around a table for a hearty meal. The group was thankful for another year, in addition to a successful hunting and harvesting season, not to forget their new friends.

It's alright to formulate your gift list and decorate your house every color from red to purple.

However, are those presents a representation of human greed or the result of the Lord placing people into your life at an appointed time to celebrate his birth together through the gift of sharing?

So many times we get lost in our own pursuit of happiness that we forget about those that have helped us along the way. At some point, we're all guilty of it.

While we're pushing our own selfish needs and ideas, others cannot support themselves for a variety of reasons. Be it the loss of a job, bad business decisions or drug abuse, a number of people did not have the funds to put food on their table.

Being thankful causes certain men and women to get pushed to the back burner. A few Sundays ago as I was taking my problems to the house of worship, the pastor gave words of wisdom.

"Would you give money to someone if they didn't have it? Your blessings are not yours to sit on — rather for your success to be shared, if you have it, that is."

The first thing that shot up to my head was not necessarily myself, but those that do so on a daily or weekly basis. Programs like Miracle Hill Ministries, which takes droves of people into its shelter, or the Gaffney Soup Kitchen feeding the homeless through their own funds are low.

Retailers may throw bait offering the best deals of the holiday season. As you salivate over that new GPS system or brand new suit, remember that some people aren't thinking about presents.

They are thinking about survival.

Put up your Christmas stocking and grand set of lights, but remember the reasons for the season.

Joe L. Hughes II writes feature and enterprise stories for The Gaffney Ledger.