Well, Halloween has come and gone, and although the Christmas decorations have been up at your local box store since the beginning of October and Mariah Carey was just thawed out to ceaselessly scream her way through “All I Want for Christmas Is You” until New Year’s, let’s not forget that there is still another pretty big holiday to celebrate between now and “Ho-Ho-Ho” time.

I’m of course talking about Thanksgiving.  I don’t know when this holiday became the “Jan Brady” of celebrations, but even though it is the red-headed stepchild of the holiday season, I’d still like to think it’s got some pep in its step.

Let’s take a close look at it, shall we?  I mean, for many folks, it becomes a four-day weekend (if you get “Black Friday” off).  It’s a chance to get together with family and feast, there’s football, a nice afternoon nap, and when you get right down to it, it’s American-made (for all you flag waving patriots out there).

I think the real reason that Thanksgiving gets the shaft is quite simple – marketing.  There are no costumes or candy to hawk and there’s no tinsel or brightly wrapped packages to entice.  Political correctness has shamed folks out of talking too much about Pilgrims and Indians (I apologize – Native American peoples), and I doubt if school kids are even given the chance to trace around their hand and turn it into a terrible turkey drawing for the refrigerator anymore.  About the only thing that consumers have to wrestle with is deciding which grocery chain gives the most coupon points for a free turkey, if there’s enough canned cranberries on the shelf, and grabbing a container of “Cool Whip” from the frozen food aisle before everyone takes the good stuff and leaves that nasty “Lite” version.  I don’t know about you, but I’ll not have my pumpkin pie compromised by some healthy version of a non-dairy dessert topping, thank you very much.

Sure, for those of us on kitchen duty for this holiday, there’s a lot of work and pre-planning involved (if you’re going to do it right).  At my house, my family knows its Thanksgiving when the prep sheet and cooking schedule get tacked up to the kitchen cabinets next to the stove.  Make fun of it all you want, but my brood knows that come hell or high water, dear old Dad will have a Thanksgiving feast ready for the table at three o’clock that afternoon – you can bet on it (and stay out of the damn kitchen while I work my magic, please).  Go watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade, have a mimosa or Bloody Mary, or just enjoy some conversation while you wait.  Don’t worry, I’ll call you when it’s time to sample some crispy skin off of the finished turkey.

It’s also a time to take a moment to reflect on the past year and give thanks.  Honestly, If you’ve got a roof over your head, clothes on your back, and food on the table – chances are you’re doing all right, and its proper to take a few moments and show a little gratitude, no matter who or what you pray to.

So, take the time to slow down and celebrate a little on the 23^rd of this month.  You can worry about that unfinished shopping and putting up all of the Christmas decorations beginning the day after (don’t even get me started on “Black Friday”), but until then, have another glass of wine or an extra slice of pie and relax.

It’s a holiday, after all.