11 Reasons Why Thanksgiving Is The Best Holiday

For me, Thanksgiving is the best holiday because:

1. It’s simple (versus Christmas).
2. It includes a long weekend to rest.
3. Home-cooked comfort food is central.
4. A few glasses of good wine is expected.
5. Three days of the long weekend follow any food and wine binging that takes place on the first day.
6. The obsessively connected, professional world usually exits the grid.
7. I don’t have to be anywhere, so I can generally avoid the materialistic mayhem of Black Friday.
8. We’re not into full winter, so the climate is usually optimal for getting outside (at least around New York, where it’s now sunny and 47 degrees Fahrenheit).
9. There’s usually enough Thanksgiving leftovers to feed a family for days (read: instant meals and craving satisfaction).
10. With the exception retail stores, people are mostly in a good mood.
11. Finally, it’s refreshing when so many people stop at once to think about what they’re thankful for, versus continue calculating how they’re going to attain what they don’t yet have.

Importantly, I typically prepare roast leg of lamb, not turkey, along with sweet-potato puree and pumpkin soup (the guts of our Halloween pumkin).

(Photo: Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources)