Thanksgiving is time for gratitude, family, food, and, of course, football(JEFF EDELSTEIN COLUMN)
Thanksgiving got its start as a religious holiday — look it up! — but obviously, these days here in good ol’ ‘Merica, it’s lost its religious overtones.
Instead, it’s pretty much the high holy day of the secular calendar, when people of all races, colors, creeds, religions, and football fandoms get together to eat too much, drink too much, and then, somewhat incredibly, eat too much again later that same day when it just seems like a good idea to throw leftover turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and cranberry sauce into a biscuit.
Oh man, that’s good eating right there.
But yes: Thanksgiving is pretty much the best holiday on the calendar when it comes to inclusivity. Are you an American? Then Happy Thanksgiving. (Yes, I know other countries have their own Thanksgiving celebrations, but do they have the Detroit Lions and the Dallas Cowboys? They do not.)
And while it’s very easy to just while the day away with food, drink, family, and football, it’s probably worth taking a moment to — you know — be thankful for what we’ve got.
I know, I know, this just veered into the maudlin, but come on: We really should take a minute and be thankful for the bounty we have here as Americans.
Sure, we can fight about Trump and Biden and non-gendered bathrooms until we’re blue (or red, settle down) in the face — and don’t worry, we will continue fighting about this — but the fact that we can fight about it in the first place is worth giving thanks.
Seriously: We are free to call Trump a grifter and Biden a senile old man. We’re also free to call Trump a senile old man and Biden a grifter. And guess what? We don’t go to jail for saying these things.
And yes, while there’s still too many people who don’t have enough, we live in a country where opportunity is there for the taking. If you want to work, there are jobs. If you’re down on your luck, there are layers of the good kind of bureaucracy that will make sure you have a roof over your head and food in your belly.
It’s not worth arguing over whether we’re the richest nation in the world, but look around: We’re doing just fine.
And what luck is it we were born now, at this time, in this country, where we have a bounty of literally everything? If you can think it, we have it.
And medicine! And transportation! And the internet! And Netflix! And McDonald’s! And football this Thanksgiving holiday on Friday, even if it’s the Jets!
I mean, sure, not all is perfect in this country — as stated above, there are still too many people in need; our political divisions feel worse than ever; there are entirely too many pumpkin-spiced products — but really: We have it about as good as any culture in the history of humankind.
And we get to celebrate that this Thanksgiving. We get to celebrate being pretty darn lucky, all things considered.
It’s just worth remembering, is all I’m saying.
Also: Try not to kill anyone over a 75-inch TV at Walmart on Black Friday, m’kay?
