I have fond childhood memories of Thanksgiving. The family holding hands, everyone saying at least one thing they were thankful for – some getting dirty looks if they took too long to give thanks – eating entirely too much stuffing and being forced to sing Hold On by En Vogue with my sister and other members of what we called the “Cool Girl’s Club.”

Later those memories would be slightly over shadowed by Thanksgiving being turned into the Day of Remembrance for the Native Americans who were slaughtered by the imperialist pilgrims. We still ate in excess, though after much discussion about modern imperialism.

Today, I hold no grudges against the imperialist. I see Thanksgiving as a chance for me and many others to see and share a meal with friends and family we don’t often see. Some would say it’s silly to make such pretense but I say why is it pretense? If you are like me with a large but disengaged family, you need these special days when everyone feels obligated to come together, if for no other reason than so the kids can at least meet their distant aunts, uncles and cousins.

Forget about the commercialization of holidays, the high gas prices, the low consumer index, the sub-prime mortgage crash, and anything else that might be on your mind. Take a break from the worries and just give thanks for the day off of work, the chance to engage with disengaged family members, and the other many blessings we tend to forget about as we get lost in what can sometimes be an all too burdensome reality.

This Thanksgiving forget it all, let tomorrow worry about itself. Eat, drink and be merry!