They celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness.

Psalm 145:7

I was thankful for clear roads as I dropped off our daughter at the airport for what ended up being a long wait to fly home. As I drove home, buffeted by winds under a threatening sky, I thought about what makes Thanksgiving possibly my favorite holiday.

Thanksgiving has a sense of homecoming, unlike other holidays. Tradition draws the family around the table to be nourished and encouraged. We share memories and dreams along with extra helpings of stuffing and gravy. Sated, we pile on the couch with a bunch of blankets, eat pie and watch favorite movies.  Eventually, someone falls asleep. (You know who you are.)

Thanksgiving is a cozy holiday.

Maybe Thanksgiving’s simplicity is what attracts me. Although some might argue that there is nothing simple about getting various dishes on the table at the same time and temperature. By contrast, Christmas is too often associated with excess — excess giving, excess spending. Too many expectations and demands. Too much rushing and anxiety. We worry about whom to include and how to pay for it all.  Christmas can turn into a performance.

Thanksgiving is a quiet celebration of abundance rather than excess.

And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

2 Corinthians 9:8

It reminds us of God-given abundance, the abundance of His provision and His everlasting goodness. It is a fullness of spirit that overflows. Excess is uninhibited, unrestrained, over the top. It can extend beyond what is good for a person’s health or well-being.

Even before the end of November, retail culture pushes us toward Christmas. Hurry, it screams. By the time the dishes are washed, people are putting up trees and lights and decorations.

I like to linger over the warmth of Thanksgiving for a bit. Savoring the day and all it represents.  

Christmas is coming, but the goose has gotten fat, and it isn’t in a big hurry to rush into the fray.