Here's my list of 20 things that make Thanksgiving Day special.
1. 2 weeks of planning boils down to 20 minutes of eating and 200 pieces of silverware that need to be hand washed.
2. The unexpected +1 invited by your sister-in-law's second cousin turns out to be vegan and not a football fan.
3. Marshmallows meet up with casseroles, cranberries come out of cans, and jello keep it weird. Use the pass wisely.
4. The fake drama between this year's new and improved version of the brined, stuffed, organic turkey versus a Butterball out of the deep fryer. The fried bird always, always wins.
5. Name cards, napkin rings, electric knives, turkey salt and pepper shakers, Grandma's china and that embarrassing family story live to see another year.
6. Someone has overly ambitious plans for gratitude sharing around the table.
7. There's never enough mashed potatoes so you can practice being thankful for the small helping you got.
8. Somebody under the age of 10 is unhappy about being at the Kid Table and threatening to only eat a roll.
9. Everyone else is wondering how we can move that one distant relative "over the age of should know better" to the Kid Table.
10. It's totally appropriate, highly encouraged even, to double time on dessert and add liquor to your coffee.
11. You still have 12 hours before your forced to think about Christmas but are seated next to the Black Friday strategist who has already finished their Christmas cards.
12. It's a rough day for white tablecloths and single people who'd prefer not to talk about how their love life is going.
13. The smartest person in the room is the one who can get the young and old, the shy and loud, the football inclined and football resistant, to stop what they are doing and play a classic parlor game.
14. The dumbest person in the room is the one who wore skinny jeans.
15. Clean up takes a small army and is long enough that everyone's ready for leftovers by the time active duty has finished.
16. Having the wrong footwear won't get you out of the post dinner walk.
17. If you nap with your mouth open, someone will capture and share the moment.
18. In late night programming, The Return of the Gout airs. (a family drama, rated R for strong language.)
19. An emergency plumbing or ER visit is always a possibility.
20. You realize that there are family traits given and chosen and each of them have the potential to be a blessing.