Some weird stuff to be thankful for this season... 🦃
From the Alvin & The Chipmunks soundtrack to FunPops to Silly Bandz... This is "thankfulness" in the USA 🇺🇸
Hey there, readers of The Ghost Post! 👻 This week, I’m traveling to celebrate Thanksgiving with family. In place of my regular posting schedule, I thought I’d use this Thanksgiving week as an opportunity to grace all of you with a funny post. Don’t worry, though - I’ll be back on December 2nd with more thoughtful content on how to ghostwrite & freelance for a living!
Today’s post is all fun and is intended to remind you of the stuff you ought to be grateful for. This list is especially applicable to those of you who grew up in - or now live in - the USA.
Ok: You know how every year when you get together with your family for Thanksgiving, somebody always asks the question, “WhAt ArE yOu ThAnKfUl FoR tHiS yEaR?” and you’re stuck coming up with an answer other than “friends & family” or “enough food on the table”? Yeah, I hate that feeling. So this year, I’ve prepared a list of 8 random things I’m grateful for ahead of time. That way, I’ll be ready. 😉
Thus, here’s a Thanksgiving list of things I’m disproportionately grateful for from my childhood and adulthood in the USA!
Alvin & The Chipmunks 🐿️ soundtracks, especially the soundtrack from the first movie. No matter what the haters might say, “How We Roll” and “Ain’t No Party” are off the charts good. Nothing says ‘party’ quite like three fake chipmunk voices squeaking over electro-pop beats. (I may or may not be listening to this album currently…) 🎶
I think they did Alvin dirty by not giving him sunglasses like Simon and Theodore. 🙄 Super Bowl Sunday. 🏈 You guys, I was today years old when I realized that people in other countries don’t all go crazy over Super Bowl Sunday. It’s obvious if I really think about it, but cut me some slack - I grew up in the Midwest, where there was simply no concept of not celebrating the Super Bowl. Even the churches had watch parties with full buffets, popcorn, and cornhole (or bean bag toss or whatever you like to call it).
The Bee Gees. You guys. It’s a trio of singing brothers who wear skin-tight white jeans and loose-fitting jackets that proudly display their absurdly hairy chests. These men pumped out classics while managing to unintentionally fool thousands of Americans into assuming they were female artists. Yes.
Now that’s culture. Silly Bandz. When I was in elementary school, the kid with the widest selection of brightly-colored rubber band bracelets was the most popular… Or the kid with the “rarest” shapes. Look, I didn’t make the rules: that’s just how it was.
I often reach into the depths of my memory and ask… Why was this so cool?! 😭 FunPops and Push-Up Pops. The only two popsicles you’d ever need. Seriously, one could live on these babies alone. Honestly, not sure to this day what the push-up pops technically are. They aren’t made of the same substance or texture as most popsicles, which is a bit unnerving. But they’re too good not to enjoy.
Supermarket frosted sugar cookies. I have no idea who or where these cookies originally came from, and I don’t think anyone else has a clue, either. But they’re so cheap and you can literally buy them just about anywhere, themed for any occasion. And they taste amazing for absolutely no reason…
Kanye West. The Kardashians. Beyonce. Ariana Grande… You get the picture. Okay, think about it. The sheer number of celebrities in the USA is insane. There’s something about celebrity and influencer culture that really impacts our society. I’m especially fond of the nationwide inside jokes that we get from our celebrities; meme culture may be odd, but it really is neat, when you think about it. It’s incredible that most of us can understand a similar joke, despite the major differences between people across the country (and around the world).
P.S. For an awesome post on influencers and how they impact our society, our understanding of ourselves, and our levels of satisfaction in our lives, check out this one from the talented
:
Still can’t believe these two were married. What?!
Speaking of artists, “vengeful” female country singers (and the country aesthetic in general). When I say vengeful, I mean vengeful in their music, not in true personality… At least, I sincerely hope none of these female country singers are actually acting out murderous plots and car-keying shenanigans. The real question is, why are all the country-singing blondes always getting cheated on? 🤔
But it’s Thanksgiving week, so what am I doing writing at my computer? I should probably go shove my face full of turkey, stuffing, and mashed potatoes. Perhaps I’ll take a nap after that, then spend all my money on Black Friday deals! I mean, what else could be the point of being an American?
I hope you enjoyed my brief Thanksgiving for-laughs post. Thanks for reading to the end of my list of super random, eclectic things to be grateful for this year. What weird things about your culture/childhood are you thankful for? Whether or not you’re from the USA, I want to hear what you have to say!
P.S. I really enjoy comedic writing, but I don’t write “funny” posts often because they don’t align with the central goals of my publication. I want to thank
from for his posts as “Thalia,” which always make me giggle. I wanted to take a stab at writing something goofy this week, and I’m grateful for the consistent entertainment of Thalia. 😆