Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!

You can have every holiday you want, just leave me Thanksgiving.  I love Thanksgiving!  Everyone who knows me, I don’t like holidays much.  I think too much is made of them and they are over commercialized.  But not Thanksgiving.  That’s why I love it, I love everything about Thanksgiving.  The family, the friends, the food, the football and especially the total relaxation.  There are no obligations that come with Thanksgiving.  Every other holiday means gift giving of some sort, not Thanksgiving.  Thanksgiving is filled with tradition and commonality.  Mostly everyone I know does almost the exact same thing on Thanksgiving.  Those traditions obviously change over the years but the change isn’t that significant and it is so you can start a new tradition.

When I was a kid we would watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the whole thing, and then head over to wherever we were going for dinner.  When I was in High School I would go out with my friends the night before, head to the football game the next morning, go to dinner and then meet up with my friends afterwards to do whatever it was that we did.  College and throughout my twenties was crazier, I would again, go out with my friends to the bars and we would drink ourselves into an oblivion.  Then next day we would go where we were going and then meet up again that night.  Now that we are married and have kids, us and our friends get together on Wednesday night and hang out.  On Thursday morning we go catch the football game and then we head to my in-laws for the day.  I just love it, it doesn’t get any better than Thanksgiving.

I don’t know why I love Thanksgiving so much, maybe it’s because it is slowly becoming the forgotten holiday.  There is no commercial value to Thanksgiving and that’s why stores go from Halloween straight into to Christmas.  Kudos to Nordstrom’s, who hasn’t bought into this whole Black Friday, decorate our stores for Christmas and blare Christmas music on October 15th.  They shouldn’t have to.  Holidays are a time to spend with your families and reflect on the year that has just passed.  It is the time to appreciate what you have and no holiday does that better than Thanksgiving.  My wife and daughter don’t need  Thanksgiving outfits, jeans and a sweater will suffice.  There is no disappointment of who didn’t get what gift, just food, family, friends and football.

There are many things that I have to thankful this.  I am thankful that I have a job that pays the bills and challenges me every day.  I am thankful that I coach a great bunch of girls at Holy Name and that we kick off our season on Monday.  I am thankful for the opportunities that I have to be a baseball umpire and basketball referee.  I am thankful that I will be moving into a new home this weekend.  I am thankful that I have the best family and friends in the world.  I would put them up any group of friends and definitely come out on top.  I am thankful for a great 2 year old little girl that is always at my heels.  I am thankful for the addition of my family that is due to arrive this spring.  But most of all I am thankful for my wife, she is the most amazing woman.  The fact that she puts up me with me day in and day out is what is so amazing about her.

I just want to take this time to say Happy Thanksgiving to all of you that read my blog.  Spend it with your families and stay away from the stores until Friday.  Happy Thanksgiving!!

3D
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