When I was about nine my mother got put in the hospital the day before Thanksgiving. My dad was left to host the celebration with my younger brother and me. Of course, my mom wanted us to have the turkey dinner she had planned. Instead my dad cooked chicken fried steak., gravy and fried potatoes. Was it traditional? No. Was it memorable? Yes. Did we still get to celebrate Thanksgiving? Yes. Was it happy? Yes, and I still remember it with a smile.
Most Thanksgiving celebrations most likely resemble something a little unplanned and chaotic instead of picturesque and perfect. And that’s OK. Unplanned and chaotic probably equal memorable and not necessarily unhappy. Sometimes someone visits you didn’t plan on seeing. You may discover going out for Thanksgiving dinner is as happy as cooking. Or you may decide wearing sweats is as happy as dressing up. Our holiday memories create nostalgia — one of the 31 Type of Happiness.
If you’re even online today, you’re most likely scurrying around getting ready for Turkey Day. There’s happiness to be found in the midst of the chaos of the travel, the cooking, the Macy’s parade, the food, the friends and family — even when there’s a little drama, they are your people and you’re thankful for them, the football, the shopping, and even the unplanned. It’s all part of the tradition.
The most important part of the Thanksgiving tradition is to be thankful — another one of the 31 Types of Happiness.
May you and those you love have a Happy Thanksgiving. I’m thankful that each of you share a bit of your happiness with me. May you have safe travels, good food, and fun times. And did I mention, Go Cowboys (remember I’m from Dallas).
What was your most memorable Thanksgiving and why?
PS…if you’re looking to read something to help you notice more happiness, the Secret Society of Happy People’s Thirty-One Types of Happiness Guide is available on e-readers including Kindle, Nook, ibooks and others for only $2.99.
Written by Pamela Gail
Pamela Gail Johnson founded the Society of Happy People in 1998.
The Society is grounded on Pamela’s four key Practical Happiness Principles:
Pamela identified 31 Types of Happiness that are on the SOHP App Happiness Counter to make it easier to recognize moments of happiness.
Pamela also plans and organizes the Society of Happy People's annual happiness celebrations:
She's also a speaker, trainer, and author.
A few of her personal smile starters include her monthly book club, yoga, traveling and meeting new happy people.
All Thanksgivings were special in our family because November is also my mom’s and my birthday month…one the week before and the other the week after. So we really made it a celebration… I would say though the last Thanksgiving I share with my mom before she passed will always stay with me. Great article!
Those memories, especially when they are the last time, seem to stick with us forever. Hope you and your family had a wonderful Thanksgiving.
What an appropriate message! Thanks so much for sharing it. Your words reminded me that Thanksgiving is about giving-thanks, and not about making sure that everything goes as planned or meets up to some unrealistic standard of excellence we created in our mind. It really is a time when humility and grace are called for.
So here’s a reminder I give myself and I want to share with your readers: For some folks – those suffering, depressed or living with a chronic illness, the holidays can be an incredibly difficult time. It may be hard for them to feel thankful for anything. Let’s remember this as we reach out our hands of kindness. Let’s look around and see if there just might be someone we can help. Reaching out to help folks that are often ignored and in the shadows makes me happy… it is something that I am “thankful for” during this holiday season.
Scott 🙂
Thanks Scott for the comments … great reminder! Did you get your copy of the Thirty-One Types of Happiness Guide? Kindness is one of them :-).
Thanks so much for sharing this with us. So easy to overlook the thank part of Thanksgiving, yet really it should be our only focus. Even in rough times, if you focus on your blessings and not your troubles, you’ll find you have so many blessings you’ll forget about the troubles!
Thanks Stacy, it is miraculous how our blessings multiply when we are thankful for them.
This was an awesome post and really reminded me of what to focus. Focus on good things not bad and keep moving forward. Thank you so much
Exactly, there really isn’t bad … there’s just lessons. Thanks for sharing.
Great post. Thank you for the reminder that admist all of the excitment and craziness getting ready for the day that remembering to be thankful for everything we have is most important!
The memories are what counts, not the details … thanks for the comment.
Love your content! One of our family’s treasured tales is from my parents – how on their first thanksgiving as a married couple, they couldn’t afford a turkey dinner, so they celebrated with peanut butter and jelly – and they were thankful. It’s been a wonderful reminder through the years.
It’s funny that we always think turkey equal Thanksgiving but it’s usually the memories that provide the nostalgic happiness — with or without the bird.
Great post anda good reminder that memories are important!
Hope you had a fabulous day that created wonderful memories Kerry.
The happiest memory for me has been living life to the full each and every day. Life is a gift and I’ve chosen to be grateful for each moment I have breath and am able to share that happiness with others. Why reserve it for one or two days per year?
That’s the perfect attitude … and probably why you are so happy …
You are so right, Pamela Gail! No matter what kind of celebrations you end up with, what really counts is family and being grateful!! Great post!
Hope you had a happy Thanksgiving this year …
I agree, no matter what, the point is to be thankful. We don’t have to fit into the neatly packaged idea of what Thanksgiving ‘should’ look like. Being grateful for today and those around us is what keeps a smile on our faces.
Thanks for the comment 🙂
Thanks Pamela! It’s so easy to be thankful in all things because many of us (me included) focus so much on what we DON’T have! I’m am thankful that I family & friends to share my Thanksgiving with. Thanks for sharing!
There is happiness to be found in the midst of the chaos…I love that line! Great story…thanks for sharing and encourgaing us all to relax and enjoy the season and its real gifts! 🙂
Your article is
very heart warming. The true meaning of Thanksgiving is indeed very simple – it’s about being THANKFUL –
so I thank you too, for sharing a bit of your happiness with me.
So true Pamela! All too often, people are so busy thinking and dwelling upon the things that they DON’T have that they forget to count the things that they DO have.