It’s almost ‘The Most Wonderful Time of the Year.’ I’ve seen Christmas products in stores since before Halloween, so ya know it’s comin’. For me, fall and Thanksgiving far outweigh Christmastime as my favorite.

First, I love the menu. Over the decades I’ve perfected the turkey/stuffing/gravy process and found that roasting the turkey the day before and storing the cooked and sliced turkey in the fridge covered in broth makes the actual day more enjoyable. Although we don’t always spend it with the same family members and friends, we always gather with a group of people we love and don’t see often enough.

Second, no gift-giving is involved with the Thanksgiving celebration. Not that I dislike giving and receiving presents. It’s just that I find the extra stress of deciding what to buy for whom challenging, not to mention the additional expense.

Best of all, giving thanks is central to the name and reason for the holiday.  So is Christ in Christmas, but somehow the word Christmas has taken on a separate meaning of its own. Making time to talk about and write down what my family and I are thankful for is a meaningful part of our Thanksgiving tradition. Then we do that very thing—give thanks to the Lord. What could be more satisfying than to say thanks to the Giver of life and all good things?

May you have a thankful Thanksgiving! I’m very grateful for you.

Give thanks to the Lord for He is good. His love endures forever. Psalm 136:1