THANKSGIVING COMES FIRST - Thank You!

Image courtesy Thanksgiving Corner

Have I told you lately that I love you? Well, I do. I ask you to jump on the bandwagon, via my annual appeal for holiday sanity, and not only do a whole bunch of you climb on board, but some of you even volunteer to drive for a while. That is to say, you drive more people to my blog, with your postings, than I usually get in an entire day.

For instance, Adam Gaffin, the most excellent host over at Universal Hub - a compendium of Boston-centric news items and blog postings - did as he does every year, putting a link to my post on his front page and sending a few hundred folks my way. Thanks, Adam!

Another huge source of hits was Hilary, at The Smitten Image. She has a weekly "Post Of The Week", and she gave my cause a nice plug here. Many folks stopped by because of it, and quite a few promised to do posts of their own.

(By the way, that's how this thing will make a difference, if it may at all. My ranting about it is fun, and lets me blow off some steam, but unless YOU post something - and ask your friends to also do so - it's just a fart in the middle of a hurricane. If we can get all sorts of people to post, then it becomes a really big stink that retailers and whatnot might actually notice.)

(No, I didn't have to use that particular phrasing, but since those who have perpetrated Christmas Creep have been crapping on us for years, it's apt.)

Special awards for quick action go to Christina at Lucrative Pain, and Michelle at The Surly Writer. They had their postings - HERE, and HERE, respectively - up on their own blogs within hours of mine. Both lovely ladies, and I thank them from the depths of my soul.

Some folks deserve special mention for being with me in this campaign for a long time. Thimbelle, at Creeping Towards Normal, is one of those folks. Her writing on the subject is one of my favorite essays, ever. She has given the cause a page of it's own on her blog, as a matter of fact, and it is there year-round for folks to access. Please read her wonderful words.

Another long-timer is Buck, at Exile In Portales. He signs on every year (although he feels it's somewhat fruitless - see the friendly exchange between he and Thimbelle in the comments section of my original posting.) He gets to the heart of the matter quickly and succinctly, as befits a military man.

(In e-mail, he expressed some misgivings about not being wordier. I told him then - and I meant it - that less words will please folks who don't care for my sort of bloviating, and that his approach is very valuable.)

Again, Thanksgiving Corner

Jillsy Girl has a page on her blog wherein she directs folks to stuff she likes. I thank her for liking me! Quite a few readers showed up here as a result. She also did a separate posting, expounding upon her own thoughts concerning the matter.

(I especially like how she laid out her words to look like a Christmas tree.)

Uncle Skip (not my uncle, but he is somebody's) had this to say. And he's posted our artwork, with a link, as a sticky at the top of his blog. Much appreciated!

A number of nice folks who don't even have the holiday of Thanksgiving, folks from across the sea, added best wishes in the comments. I appreciated that. One actually posted thoughts on the matter, and here they are. Cheers!

Rob, at samaBlog, wrote about it with an entirely new slant. At least, it's new to me, and I enjoyed it. I think you will, too. Find his very interesting take HERE.

Calamity Shazaam In The Kitchen gives me a nice bit of an ego-boost in her posting. Like my ego needed any more inflating...

Jeni Ertmer, at Down River Drivel, always has the TCF artwork on her sidebar, and that's appreciated. Thanks, Jeni!

(A link to us showed up on The Huffington Post, as well as on Buzz Tracker. Both of those gave me a slight start, and cause for hope.)

My buddy, IT, gave us the link love (and a Buddy Hackett appearance on Johnny Carson, which is always worthwhile.) Likewise, Alex Johnson provided a way for folks to get here. And Kat, at Seeking Sanity, has the artwork - with link - posted on her sidebar. Every bit helps, and I thank them.

My friend Kris, at Noodling On It, has written a nice piece. Please read it HERE.




And, since I wrote the bulk of this before the weekend, here are the good folks who wrote things that I just discovered since returning to work this morning. God Bless Them All!

Pat, at Remembrances Of An Arkansas Stamper, proudly displays the artwork, with a link, on the sidebar.

Robert H. Brague (Rhymes With Plague) has posted about us. Thank you!

A Tale Of Two Buckskins talks about Christmas tree sales around his way.

Jazz, at Haphazard Life, is one of my favorite Canadians.

(I like Canadians in general. They kind of have the same sensibilities that we Americans had in the 50's and 60's. I consider that a very good thing.)

Anyway, she has posted one of my all-time favorite cartoons about Thanksgiving, and she has written about us with pity...

(I can read the love underneath the gentle cynicism, you crazy Canuck.)

The Fifty Factor has not only written a nice piece, but has also posted the artwork on the sidebar, with a link, and some words, and... and... well, I run out of nice things to say about all of you, but this is all nice. Yes, very nice. Thank You!

Messy Mimi, at (where else?) Messy Mimi's Meanderings has gone all Thanksgiving militant! In a nice way, of course, and that's how it should be. Thanks, Mimi!

Mari, at My Little Corner Of The World, has joined the cause. Thank you, Mari, and God bless.

Gran Speaks! And this time, Gran is speaking about Thanksgiving coming first. Thanks, Gran!

Last, but certainly not least by any means, is my good buddy, Lime. She always writes something worth reading, and her thoughts on this matter are no exception. Please go have an indignant chuckle at House Of Lime. There is also a link to another Thanksgiving story, and that's worth a read, too.

And that's that, for now.

I had promised to publish this list of links on Friday the 5th, but I just couldn't wait. I am entirely too full of thanks to wait another four days. Fear not, though, if you were planning a post but haven't done one yet. I'll still be doing a post of links on Friday, too. Just let me know when you post something, please. I want to be sure to send folks your way. Likewise, if I've somehow done the unforgivable here by missing what you've already published, LET ME KNOW ABOUT MY OMISSION. Write to me at suldog@aol.com, or leave a comment, or something. I truly want to see all of your stuff, and give credit where credit is due.

Again, thank you. Please keep 'em coming.

Soon, with more of your stuff.