Thankful for Thanksgiving

I've never really written this, but I have certainly said many times that Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Why? Let me count the ways:

1. Thanksgiving may be the only major holiday that has not been commercialized. There are no cards to buy, no gifts to give, no huge hype about Circuit City holding its Annual Pilgrim Sale; in fact, almost everything commercial is closed. Yes, "black Friday" is the day after, but that's a Christmas thing, not a Thanksgiving thing.

2. You don't have to believe anything dogmatic. I don't have to stand in a church and mutter something about the Thanksgiving Angel who came down from Heaven to rescue the people of Israel, holding a golden chalice in one hand and a magical spear in the other. I don't have to believe anything, and I don't have to pretend that cultural myths are the same as historical fact--all I need is to be thankful.

3. I've heard that there's some food involved. Thanksgiving is the #1 opportunity to pig out, and even for us vegetarians, who don't "pig" too much, there's a lot to like. It's a time to loosen the belt, chow down, and ease into a food-induced stupor. Food is my drug of choice.

4. By its nature, Thanksgiving emphasizes personal connections. People spend some quality and quantity time with those who are near and dear to them. It's one of the few truly family-focused events of the year. (One could say that Christmas also qualifies, but all the gifts and glitter and hustle 'n' bustle can kind of obscure all that.)

5. It's near my birthday. And in fact, this year Thanksgiving is ON my birthday! And when my birthday rolls around, at least the level of physical and verbal abuse I receive wanes a bit, and there are even a few presents to be had. What's not to like about that?

I'd say those are five reasons that work for me. Happy Thanksgiving to all of my thousands of devoted readers from Singapore to Cincinnati. There's a lot to be thankful for. (And if you don't like sentences that end in prepositions, there's a lot for which to be thankful!)