...well actually it's Wednesday...and tomorrow is Thanksgiving

For a variety of reasons this short week has been a strange one, and as often happens this time of year, I cannot help but notice that people in general just seem to be in a better overall mood. I never really thought about it much before, but as I’ve gotten older, it really does feel like people are generally happier during Thanksgiving week…and over the course of the last few days, I’ve heard more than a few people say “Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.”

Perhaps it has something to do with the simplicity of the holiday. Christmas isn’t for everyone…and for those that do celebrate it’s often marred by the hustle-and-bustle and overall pressure associated with all the commercial craziness. Thanksgiving on the other hand, is ideally about getting together with the people you care about…and hopefully feeling some sense of gratitude for the people you have in your life.  I guess that is what makes it so appealing, and throughout the week I’ve eavesdropped on numerous conversations that include something like “my 88 year-old mother is coming into town” or “I’m picking up my son this afternoon at the airport” or “I’m headed to my parents by the beach.” I’ve even witnessed otherwise stressed folks change their entire demeanor when they cheerfully share that their “youngest is home from college” or “the entire clan is coming to the country home.” Almost every conversation I hear is about cooking, travel…and people. Sure, there’s the occasional reference to “my annoying uncle” or “extremist alcoholic sister-in law,” but for the most part the references are pretty positive. At the very least…I’m convinced people seem to be smiling more.

The emails and phone calls I receive during Thanksgiving week are typically nicer too. Invariably, some old friend or former colleague will send an unsolicited electronic message that says something like “Hey Bro…just want to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving” or I’ll get an email entitled simply “Thinking of You.” Almost without fail some old friend will call “just to say hello.”  I don’t know about you…but I don’t get many messages or calls like that in April or August. There is a lot of magic about the holiday season, but there is something about watching the big balloons float over Manhattan, a touch football game, taking in the aroma of a roasting bird and seeing the perpetually pitiful Lion’s play on a Thursday in late November that just makes everything better.

When I first arrived in DC in 2005 after moving completely across country…it was hard. My wife, family and friends were all back in Los Angeles, and as I’ve mentioned here before, I remember driving to the gym at 5am on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving feeling very alone. It was dark and unseasonably cold, and as I headed southbound down Connecticut Ave from Cleveland Park over the bridge that spans Rock Creek, I remember being struck at how deserted the streets all seemed. Typically it was much busier, but I drove my way around the Washington Hilton and down toward Dupont Circle, the streets were absolutely empty. I remember feeling almost an ache…and sensing that I could actually start to cry. The darkness and solitude were downright eerie…and then it dawned on me like an epiphany why is all seemed so deserted. Everybody else was home. Then…like the script of some corny movie…this morning’s song started playing on WASH FM.

I’m not sure what you’re doing this Thanksgiving…but I sure hope it has something to do with the people and family you care about the most. Enjoy the simplicity of a truly special holiday. Watch a parade, have some turkey, catch some football and if you can, hug a few of the people that matter most to you and think about at least some of the reasons you should feel genuinely thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving