The situation of Thanksgiving.

Sometimes I think Thanksgiving has a hard time of it, as far as holidays go. I mean, being the holiday right before Christmas -- that's got to be tough. People everywhere wait for Thanksgiving to be over so that Christmas will hurry up and come, and say things like, "Well, I am thankful. I'm thankful for Christmas."
I have to admit: I've said those words before (only in jest, Thanksgiving!) when others have scoffed at my Christmas tree being up so early. Yes. I am one of those. But I am also one who, in another blog long ago, used to list things I was thankful for all throughout the year. I don't believe that thankfulness should be saved for a season, like my Santa Claus kitchen towels.

This year I wondered what God thinks about the whole Christmas/Thanksgiving upset. I mean, I don't think He's angry or anything. But thankfulness is important. It's even a Biblical command!
Then I thought, that's ridiculous. God doesn't care if Christmas eclipses another holiday. We want to celebrate the fact that He gave His preciously loved Son to us. We want to be with our families and give gifts. We want to sing our hearts out on Sunday morning and remember that God sent that Little Baby because He wanted to be with US. He wanted us to be a part of his big family.

But it's still really important to be thankful.

Yep, that's how my mind went. From warm fuzzy to practical, in one step.

And so, in order to not take merely take time off while taking Thanksgiving for granted, I present for your reading enjoyment, a list of things I am thankful for.

I am thankful:

- that it's cold. Yes, it is harder to get up in the morning and exercise when it's cold, but it's nice to not be quite so icky afterward, too.

- that my husband is here this week. He was gone all of last week, and I missed him. He should probably be listed twice here. I love my life with him.

- I'm thankful that Wal-Mart sells Christmas tree stands for fake trees. (Ok, so I wasn't trying to mention Christmas, but...) Seriously -- this is a big deal for me! Our dear fake tree that we have had since our first Christmas as a married couple was falling apart, and wouldn't stand up. We tried to repair the stand, but I guess there's only so much tape and super glue can do. Having already spent money on decorations we didn't really couldn't go spend more on a fake tree, or a real tree plus an appropriate stand. I sincerely considered the fact that it might be best if we simply did not have a tree this year, and resigned myself to it. But praise God for cheap fake tree stands!

- Mexican food. I just plain love it. A chef on tv once said, "There's a bad time for pizza. There's never a bad time for a taco." I don't know about the pizza (well, ok ... maybe late at night), but I heartily agree about the taco.

- My Natalie Rhae. She has such personality, and I love that we're getting to see more and more of it. And the punch lines! Oh man! We've also had some good talks about God lately, and those are very special to me.

- Family. It is no wonder to me why the Bible says God sets the lonely in families. He's just that nice. I'm grateful for the one I grew up in, the one I live with currently, the one I married into, and the one I see every Sunday. What a blessing they all are to me. Thank you, Lord.

- My Elizabeth Joy. I'm so thankful for her laughs, her seeming obsession with songs (and their actions), and her kisses. Oh the kisses. She is not one to give you a kiss just because you ask (yet). But she doesn't mind giving them again and again once she's started!

- Music. There are some songs that have touched my heart lately, and it's reminded me how much I love this medium of worship. There is nothing quite like having a song in your heart all day long. Need a good one? Here's one I love. Ok, so it's a Christmas song. But I'm thankful for Christmas!