I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again.  Thanksgiving is by far my favorite holiday.   There’s no religion, no ceremony.  Just family reuniting around a large table eating a lot of food, and enjoying each other’s company and each other’s differing views.  On this particular occasion, there was also a little more excitement than usual:  police activity (including helicopters and boats) in and around the Hudson that had us all frantically using binoculars and checking our iPhones, blackberries and laptops to find out what the hell was happening (rumor has it that it was a poor lost soul who decided to take a jump from the bridge – a stark reminder that times are still tough for many people).

This year, our family came from lots of different places.  Upstate New York, Massachusetts, Texas and California.  We saw toddler and pre-K cousins, who are getting bigger and cuter by the month, and aunts and uncles who have been faithful attendees at mom’s Thanksgiving feast for years.  The dishes don’t vary all that much from year to year, and I take a certain amount of comfort in the predictability.

We did not go ’round the table this time to announce what we were thankful for.  But I’ll take a few moments now to enumerate a short list of things (in no particular order) for which I’m extremely grateful:

The family stuff
– my beautiful girls, who are smart, creative and sassy
– my Frenchie husband, who still makes me laugh and who puts up with all my shit
– my mom, who’s the best mom and best grammy ever
– my brother and sister-in-law, and my husband’s family – all unique and quirky, and fun
– the rest of my family, including the aunts, uncles and cousins – who brighten up the day when we see them

The other stuff
– our knock-on-wood good health
– the fact that I’ve kept this blog going for 3+ years
– our French passports (just too cool not to mention), which we hope to use in 2011
– Sophie’s cuddling prowess
– Chloe’s love of reading and writing
– our amazing babysitter of ten years

This list is by no means exhaustive, but it’s what comes immediately to mind.  I’m pretty lucky, if I do say so myself.