I love Thanksgiving.  It’s definitely my favorite holiday of the year.  Aside from the fact that the food is really good, I like it because a) it doesn’t require me to buy gifts for anyone, and b) school, practices, games and activities are all canceled, which means that I don’t have to drive carpool – anywhere – for four entire days.  Ahhh.

There is another reason why I like Thanksgiving, though: it’s because it’s a reflective holiday.  My life is crazy and frenzied, and the good majority of it is spent running around trying to fit two days worth of work and errands and quality family time into one.  And then, of course, the time that isn’t spent running around is spent complaining about how I’m always running around, and this state of affairs just doesn’t lend itself to regularly-scheduled reflection upon the things in my life that are actually good. Now, I’m not talking about the big stuff here.  I do wake up every single morning and recognize how lucky I am to be alive and living in the time and place that I do.  There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t feel thankful for my health and the health of my husband and children, or for the roof over our heads, the food on our plates and the clothes on our backs.  I don’t require a holiday to feel thankful about those things.  Rather, what I’m talking about are the little things; the things that make my life a bit easier, a bit more comfortable, a bit more fun.

So, in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I’d like to take this opportunity to list the top twelve (little) things for which I am thankful this Thanksgiving, in no particular order.

1. I am thankful to Disney, both for giving us Phineas and Ferb, and for having a pop radio station that doesn’t play songs requiring an explanation of sado-masochism or other sexual fetishes.

2.  I am thankful for Annie’s Organic Macaroni and Cheese, because somehow, the word organic makes me feel infinitely less guilty about serving mac & cheese for dinner multiple times in one week.

3.  I am thankful that my kids still like to cuddle.

4.  I am thankful for Trader Joe’s.

5.  I am thankful that my dog can not talk back to me, or roll his eyes.

6.  I am thankful that I can get away with only washing my hair two days a week.

7.  I am thankful to Amazon for not getting rid of the basic Kindle, as it is the one electronic device that on which video games can not be played, and thus my children have no interest in using it and then leaving me with no battery.

8. I am thankful for Jon Stewart.

9.  I am thankful for white wine, and also for Mojitos.

10.  I am thankful to the Double Dream Hands guy, as my daughter and I have gotten a lot of mileage out of his dance moves.

11.   I am thankful for the video camera in my iPhone, because I never think to charge my real video camera when I need it.

12.  I am thankful for Spanx.  Especially the day after Thanksgiving.

And there you have it, folks.  I hope you have a very happy Thanksgiving, and I hope you take some time out to reflect on the little things that you’re thankful for, too.