Growing up, Thanksgiving was always my favorite holiday. There’s great food and you get to spend quality time with friends and family. But some aren’t so into it, and they always ask me “but why? What is so special about Thanksgiving?” So I put my list together.
THE PREPARATION
Now this will come across as odd, but truth be told, I don’t do a damn thing to prepare for Thanksgiving. It’s my wife, and daughter and parents and sisters and whomever else wants to pitch in. But unlike any other time of the year, the joy I see from those who are cooking is priceless. The giggling and laughter. Chatter about memories long past. It is a time of warm family comradery, and it just warms my heart. When my wife and daughter are in the kitchen collaborating on Thanksgiving deserts during the days leading up to the big day, well, there are no words.
GUILT FREE EATING
This holiday is devoted to cooking and eating all kinds of delicious foods. And this is the one time all year where it’s completely acceptable (and encouraged) to stuff your face with as many Thanksgiving delicacies as possible. That includes potatoes, turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, pumpkin and apple pie, and of course, a number of family specialties. Heaven.
SPENDING TIME WITH FRIENDS and FAMILY
Being able to spend quality time with all of the friends and family you haven’t seen in a while is definitely one of the best things about this holiday. It’s fun to catch up with everyone, even if that means having to answer a million questions about your personal life. “No, no grandkids yet mom.”
THE MACY’S THANKSGIVING DAY PARADE
Even if you’re way past the age where a giant Elmo balloon excites you, the Macy’s Parade definitely gets everyone into the holiday spirit, and it is must watch TV in our household. Never miss it! It’s a fun, relaxing way to start off Thanksgiving Day while you smell the turkey and fixings cooking. And honestly, the floats are really impressive, no matter how old you are.
FOOTBALL
Yes, snuggling up on the couch after that big Thanksgiving Day meal and watching some football is a longstanding tradition in our household. But there’s a 100 percent chance that everyone will end up asleep in a food coma by halftime. Or better yet, missing the action because of all of the “catching up” chatter that continues to go on. Not to mention making plans for the tomorrow, right?
BLACK FRIDAY and CYBER MONDAY
You can get a head start on holiday shopping by taking advantage of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. As our kids are now older, these days are not as significant. But boy can we tell some stories about Black Friday – waking up at 4 a.m. to get in line for the big deal. And if you score, wow, was it worth it. For me, Cyber Monday, not so much of a thing, but I thought I’d add it to the header.
LEFTOVERS
Eating leftover turkey and stuffing for a week straight might seem unappealing, but in my opinion, it’s just a great excuse to extend the holiday for a little bit longer. Also, who doesn’t love sandwiches with leftover Thanksgiving turkey? In fact, we like the leftovers so much that during those times when we have had Thanksgiving at another family members house, we buy our own turkey and fixings to cook the next day, so we too get to enjoy the leftovers.
THANKFULNESS
What the day is all about. This is a time for us to reflect on what we have to be thankful for. We often don’t stop to think about all of the amazing things in our lives that we’re grateful for, and this is the perfect opportunity to do so. If we really stop and think about it, most of us will be pretty amazed with how good we have it.
CHRISTMAS IS ALMOST HERE
After Thanksgiving, there are only 32 more days until Christmas!! But who’s counting, right?
In the end, family isn’t always about the people in your life who are blood relations. It’s about the people in your life who want you to be in theirs. It’s about the people in your life who accept you for who you are, support you in the things you choose to do and no matter what, are there for you. It’s the people in your life who love you, respect you and who you can depend on.
All of us at 78Madison have so much to be thankful for and we hope that is the case with you also.
Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at 78Madison.