Count your blessings... instead of sheep

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays and has been for a very long time.

Most kids when asked what their favorite holiday is will always say Christmas or Halloween because of candy. I do love Christmas, but Thanksgiving I love almost more. It's a holiday that is underrated. (is that a word? overrated is..) I do love Christmas, but as many of you know, Christmas has become so commercialized and stores start "celebrating" the day after Halloween. Really people? Come on. Have some time to be thankful for what you've got before you start worrying about what to by Aunt Myrtle and Uncle Hank this year. Thanksgiving is that holiday a month before Christmas and that famous Macy's Parade ends with Santa on his own float driving by, officially ushering in the Christmas season. What gets me is that people rush rush rush and forget what Thanksgiving (and Christmas, but that's another story) is all about. So while you're relaxing, checking your Facebook updates and Black Friday deals online, let's reminisce, shall we?

I love Thanksgiving not for the food (though I love it all and love cooking and baking...). I love Thanksgiving because no matter who you are and where you live and what religion (or no religion- agnostics, atheists)- everyone can be thankful for something and have a day to spend with their family and friends. It's weird, I know, but I thought in that "I want World Peace" kind of dream that, hey, we all really can spend one day ALL OF US giving thanks to God or each other, for what we have. That great Irving Berlin song "Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep" says it all:

When I'm worried and I can't sleep
I count my blessings instead of sheep
and I fall asleep counting my blessings

When my bankbook is getting small
I think of when I had none at all
and I fall to sleep counting my blessings

There's another part of the song (watch it in "White Christmas") but you get the idea. Counting our blessings/being thankful/grateful should be something we do every day. The Pilgrims and Wompanoag came together on an autumn day such as today (we're not sure if they had as much snow...) to give thanks for the harvest that they produced together (it was more the Wompanoag, but I digress). As we think of all the things we're thankful for, it's easy to think about the past and any family traditions you may have. I'm going to share mine and I hope you all share yours.

Growing up, my dad and brother- when he was old enough- would go hunting Thanksgiving morning. I would watch the Macy's parade while my mom was busy cooking up a storm in the kitchen. When I got old enough, I would help. Sometime in the afternoon, we would sit down to eat on the Wedgewood china that my mom's mom gave us. Mom would always cook mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, cranberry relish, and stuffing with the turkey. My brother and I would make a wish over the wishbone when it dried out. I'm not sure who won- ah well. Sometimes, Aunt Sue would come over to eat with us. Sometimes Aunt Joan & Uncle John (more when I was really young) would be there. There were a few times when we went to Maine to my grandparents house, but a lot of the time it was our home in Vergennes. It would always snow on Thanksgiving- not a lot, but I would always see flakes falling while sitting and eating at the dining room table.

Those are good memories. I am grateful-very thankful for those happy memories.

What are your memories from Thanksgivings past?