I’m a big sap when it comes to Christmas, but in the 15 years that the U.S. has been my home, I have come to appreciate the Thanksgiving holiday as much, if not more,  than the one it precedes.

As I write, my turkey is defrosting in the fridge, and by the time you read this the bones will have been long discarded, yet I believe there are some Thanksgiving lessons that can guide us as we enter a new and uncertain year.

First, it marks a clear start to the new season: Christmas is coming! The tree goes up the day after Thanksgiving, and Chez Butcher becomes a Christmas-music-only zone for the next few weeks. No more guessing about when to unpack the decorations like back in England, or plain forgetting to do so.

If ever our industry has needed a line in the sand, it’s now. Several years of dramatic and painful internal changes to our Christian products world have been followed by major external squeezing from the recent economic meltdown.
The digital media explosion continues to have as-yet-untold ramifications for both traditional print and retail
operations.

So let’s once and for all accept this is a new day. No more hankering for what was. Let’s be grateful for what God did in the past, for sure, but look ahead confidently—trusting that if He surprised us back then with what He did, that He can do so again. Even if we don’t like not knowing how that will be.

Then there is thankfulness, of course. To be honest, this one hasn’t come easily to me in the last few years. I’ve faced a variety of personal situations that have at times left me rather despairing. It’s seemed like God has been tied up on more important issues than little old me and mine.

I’ve tried gritting my teeth and reflecting on people who’ve got it much worse than me. But, truth to tell, the idea that I should be appreciative that things aren’t as bad as they could be hasn’t proved to be a tremendous source of comfort or joy.

So sitting down at Thanksgiving and writing a list of what I am actually glad for has always been encouraging. Health, family, friends and a home in which to enjoy them. A great team to work with, being part of the wider enterprise of the Christian products industry that is in some small way contributing to the Great Commission and making a difference in the world. Getting to interact with some smart, passionate people in other parts of this endeavor and finding friends, not just associates.

Finally, there is connection. Most significant to me on Thanksgiving is the emphasis on just being there. Christmas gift-giving (and receiving!) is a blast, but I love that the month before, our sole focus is on getting together. Call me soft, but I get teary-eyed over every TV report about lines at the airport and the gas pump; how people are simply doing whatever they can to get home.

We do well to remember that, at the end of the day—or, rather, at the start of this year—that’s really what it all comes down to. Getting home—and making sure that we’ve helped bring along as many others as we can.

I’m not trivializing the very real challenges so many face, but the fact is that as weighty as they may seem now, today’s trials will evaporate in the light of forever. The books, music, gifts and other materials we produce and sell that share the message of eternity matter. Well, a lot of them.

Thanksgiving also reminds me of the importance of relationships. Sure, our families may drive us nuts at times (and we them), but they are our people. Getting together reinforces for all of us who we are.

That’s an aspect of our industry it would be all too easy to dismiss in these economic hard times. But it’s probably more important than ever that we continue to get together. By staying away, we can become discouraged, divided, distrustful. By meeting we can share joys, problems and ideas. And I remember Jesus saying something about two or three gathering in His name.

Connecting as an industry may require some sacrifice from participants and ingenuity from event organizers. Thankfully, we seem to be seeing both.

I’m greatly looking forward to our own new event this month. The Gathering 2009 (Jan. 7-9) has been broadened from its previous church bookstore focus to include other retailers and added a program emphasis on the important growth area of gifts. (Quick plug: It’s not too late to join us: go to www.chris
tianretailing.com, to find out more.)

Elsewhere, the trade associations are looking to cut the cost and increase the return for participants. CBA has revised its Industry Conference, this month, and shortened the length of the International Christian Retail Show, for the summer. The Evangelical Christian Publishers Association has announced that its PUBu training conference later in the year will be a “virtual” online event.

Thomas Nelson may have decided it doesn’t need the CBA shows as they stand, but it still acknowledges the value of really connecting with others, with its second Open House reception for key accounts planned for April.

So there’s my Thanksgiving prescription for 2009: Be accepting. Be thankful. Be there.

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