I had an idea for a new holiday. Not that Hallmark and the other greeting card companies need another excuse to make more money, but I think it would be a good one.
I'd call it I'm Thankful For My Friends Day.
I would put it on the Friday before Thanksgiving to help get us all in the thanksgiving mood before we get/have to spend a day with family members we may not like that much and end up in a food coma, unable to focus on the football game on TV. It would remind us of how fortunate we are in our choices of friends.
See, that's the cool thing about friends. They are a choice. We can choose who we want to be friends with. that choice is also a two-edged sword because those people can choose not to be friends with you. But when the two of you form that bond, it can be awesome!
There are things we share with friends that we don't share with family - not because family shouldn't necessarily know, but because that information is on a need-to-know basis and the family doesn't need to know. Do you really want people with whom you spend every holiday and other days during the year looking askance at you because of something you did? Do you want your nieces and nephews to think of you other than "the cool aunt/uncle?" I didn't think so.
Of course, family members can be friends, too. If that's the case, not only are you extremely fortunate, but that bond is even stronger.
As I was thinking about this yesterday, I thought I'd celebrate by inviting my friends to my apartment for a pizza and movie night. But my apartment only seats about three, and I do have more friends than that, so I'd have to do something else. Think about it, though. How much fun would it be to have your house full of your friends, all people you love, just hanging out and having a great time, watching a movie you all like, quoting along with your favorite lines and, in the case of many of my friends and me, admiring the view, as it were.
That would be fun.
You know, even if Hallmark doesn't pick this up, maybe I'll try it anyway.
