Happy turkey day!

Why we love thanksgiving! The best holiday of 'em all. 
by Mitch Albom 

I'll
take Thanksgiving. 

You can have Halloween, New Year's, Christmas, Fourth of
July, Easter, 
Hanukkah and any day dedicated to presidents. You can stack
them all up on 
one side, and the turkey and I will stand on the other. I'll
take 
Thanksgiving. 

It is, to me, exactly what a holiday should be. For one
thing, there are 
no gifts. You never have to worry about what to get someone
for 
Thanksgiving or how much to spend. There are no lectures about "greed" or
"commercialization" or how we're "forgetting the spirit" of Thanksgiving. 
No
way. The spirit of Thanksgiving is eating. Who could forget that? 

Secondly,
it comes with football. What other holiday does that? New Year's 
Day? But at
least with Thanksgiving, you don't have a hangover. Also, 
there is no "right"
place to go on Thanksgiving ? except home. There is no 
church or synagogue.
No graves that must be visited. No trekking out to 
watch fireworks. You just
sit on the couch, or sit at the table, and you 
laugh and eat and laugh and
burp and ta-da? you are credited with knowing 
the "true meaning" of the
holiday. Also, it comes with a parade. 

Did I mention the dressing? Not the
turkey dressing. The human dressing. 
There isn't any! Oh, sure, maybe you put
on a nice pair of pants. Maybe. 
But who really dresses up for Thanksgiving?
You 
can celebrate in a sweatshirt. Can you say that about New Year's Eve? Not
unless you're a lonely, pathetic loser. 
And Thanksgiving doesn't require some
smarty-pants history known only by 
your geeky cousin from Baltimore. Uh-uh.
There's no quoting Lincoln or 
Washington. No reading from the Declaration of
Independence. What do you 
need to know about Thanksgiving? The Pilgrims and
the Indians had dinner. 
Pass the gravy. 

Thanksgiving never moves. It is
always on a Thursday, strategically placed 
so that you might as well take off
Friday as well, since Saturday and 
Sunday are next, and, while you're at it,
maybe half of Wednesday just to 
pick up everyone from the airport.
Thanksgiving gets you half a week off. 
What does Labor Day get you? Monday?
And there is no shopping on Thanksgiving, unlike Memorial Day or 
Presidents
Day. Sure, there are Thanksgiving sales, but you do them on 
FRIDAY! How cool
is that? Also, there are no masks. You don't beg for 
candy from strangers.And
nobody eggs your house. 
Have I mentioned stuffing? There is no more
celebratory food ? short of 
dessert ? than stuffing. Be honest. When you were
young, you couldn't get 
enough of it, right? Maybe you hated cranberry sauce,
but all kids loved 
stuffing. It was everything great about bread and pudding
and hot, mushy 
food wrapped into one. 

Tell me you don't still feel that.
Tell me there's anything better than a 
meal that goes all night, that doesn't
have an event tied to it, that 
doesn't come with a bill at the end. Tell me
there's anything better than 
only having to catch up with your aunts, uncles
and cousins to feel like 
you did the holiday proud. Tell me there's anything
easier than passing 
plates. Tell me there's any better place to appreciate
what you have than 
in a kitchen filled with good smells. Tell me there's a
better invention 
than "the kids' table." 

And what holiday not only condones
but pretty much expects you to fall 
asleep on the couch? 

So let's sum up.
No costumes, no presents, no services, no tuxedoes, no 
time limit, no guilt
trips, and all the food, naps and football you want. 
I'll take Thanksgiving.
After all, no one tries to sit on the turkey's lap 
and ask for an Xbox. 
- -
- - 
Amen!!! Happy Thanksgiving from my home to yours 
 
Donna

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