A turkey holds forth on thanksgiving.

Gratitude consists of being more aware of what you have, than what you don’t. –Unknown

As has been noted many times by now, in written word, in formal oral pronouncements and in casual conversation, Thanksgiving is almost upon us, and for once, I am prepared. Yes, I have mailed out all of my Thanksgiving Day cards, and I have bought presents for all the good little girls and boys on my list, all of whom are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Great Turkey, who each year arises from his barnyard roost to reward them for their virtuous existence. And I have even begun practicing those Thanksgiving carols, so that when I sing them in public, I will not be embarrassed by singing off-key.

Just kidding! Yes, Thanksgiving is that one great holiday, one of the few I can think of, where you are not required to overspend, or send out maudlin greetings in sentiments not your own. BTW, even if these sentiments were your own, it would be hoped that you would be ashamed to send them out in the awful verse form found in most of the greeting cards generally offered by that industry. No, all you are required to do on Thanksgiving is to eat heartily, then stagger to the couch, and fall victim to all that tryptophan (otherwise known as “turkey’s revenge”), while pretending to watch either Dallas or Detroit in their traditional Turkey Day pigskin exhibitions.

There is another reason that Thanksgiving is such a great holiday. It is not nailed down to any one date on the calendar. Instead, it is there, on the fourth Thursday of each November. Consequently, you need not plan around the eventuality that it might, this year, fall on a Saturday or Sunday, as is the case with, say, Christmas and New Year’s Day, the second and third legs of what we know as “the holiday season”, and so, see yourself, a hard-working American, robbed of your right to not come into work on a weekday, and costing your Scrooge-like employer the opportunity to ask you in his snide voice “So, tomorrow’s Thanksgiving, eh? I suppose you’ll be wanting the WHOLE day off!” Even better, if your boss is more like the reformed Scrooge, there is every chance that you’ll get Friday off as well, scoring the rare “four-day weekend, unless, of course, you work in a “Mega-lo Mart”. If this is the case, you’d better be there early to earn your minimum wage, as the Friday following Thanksgiving is the usually the busiest shopping day of the year. Please note the qualifier “usually”. What with the economy in the doldrums, workers might actually get a break this year.

Not that everyone will be lounging idly on Thanksgiving Day. There are those whose professions require them to work this holiday. So, instead of sleeping in to an ungodly hour, then loafing in front of the television while the Macy’s parade plays itself out, and getting giddy on the wonderful smells emanating from the kitchen, where somebody is getting that feast ready, you get up and go to work, as though this was just another day. (If you are not responsible for dinner, you are allowed to be unsure of just who is, just so long as you don’t forget to include those people on your list of the ones who must work on this holiday.) So, while we are safe and secure at home, let us remember the police, the firefighters, and any others who sacrifice their time for our safety, security and convenience. Most of all, let us remember the members of our military, especially those who are in harm’s way this holiday season. Let us pray for their safety during it, and for a quick return to their families so that they, too, might know the joy of loafing while surrounded by family and friends.

If there is a drawback to Thanksgiving, at least for young families, it is where to spend it. I mean, do you go to his family, or to her family this year? Many times, such families compromise, and spend Thanksgiving with his family, and Christmas with hers. Of course, what with the increasingly crowded skies, many airlines resolve this dilemma nicely by having the family spend Thanksgiving at the airport, as they wonder what’s holding up that %$@& flight, anyway. Let’s face it, getting to Grandma’s house nowadays requires more than “a horse” who “knows the way to carry the sleigh through the white and drifted snow”, not that there’s much of that anymore, either, thanks to global warming.

Most of all, let us remember the “reason for the season” a trite but true expression usually reserved for Christmas. We observe this day, after all, to show that we are grateful for all that we as Americans possess. This may be taken to mean our material possessions, but should include the rights and privileges we have as American citizens. In either case, we are blessed, far beyond what inhabitants of many of the so-called third-world countries are. Where we are able, let us help those less fortunate, and where we are unable, let us remember those who work to get meals to the ones who would be alone and hungry on this, of all days, without them, when we ask the Lord to bless the repast we are about to enjoy.

Finally, a word of warning to all of my fellow diabetics: Yes, the day is about food, and usually over-indulging in its consumption. But we know, as diabetics, that we must still limit our intake of calories, and especially, carbohydrates. Gone are those wonderful days when we could eat anything and everything. But we can make up for this by choosing “quality over quantity”. Your day need not be less enjoyable because of your condition. And for those whose have family members who are afflicted by this condition, perhaps you can help out by having a nice, no-sugar-added dessert for them, many types of which are available at either Food City or Wal Mart’s.

And on that day, when the feast is laid out on the table, and, you, as the provider of the feast look out on that sumptuous meal, be glad of one thing: When it turns out that there aren’t enough chairs for everybody at the table, you won’t be the one who has to sit on a lard can to eat.

Oh, and be happy that you aren’t a turkey.

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody!