Oh, it's OK I guess, but it doesn't compare to Christmas, Easter or Harry S. Truman Day (yeah, I know the ol' haberdasher doesn't have his own day, but he should!).

You see, the way I look at it, if presents aren't involved in some way, the holiday is hardly worth celebrating. And no one's asked me yet for my Thanksgiving gift list!

Sure, I'll take the day off like everyone else. I'll watch a little football, eat a little turkey, visit with family. But otherwise, I really can't get into the day.

I think it's because Thanksgiving is such a difficult holiday. There are so many things to consider and so many difficult decisions to make:

* Like, do we spend the day at home with just the immediate family, or do we go to my brother's house with the extended family? And if we go to his house, will they turn off the TV (translation, turn off the football game) during dinner?

* Will it be just family, or will other guests be invited? This is actually a very important issue. If there are others included, it means slacks and a tie, and all of that chit-chat, small-talk conversation. If it's just family, it means sweat pants and a T-shirt, and we watch football and eat. Let's see, would I rather talk to an acquaintance about the nation's unbalanced budget or to my nephew about the Cowboys' unbalanced line?

* And, do I go with the pumpkin pie, the apple pie or a little bit of both?

Such difficult questions!

I don't know, there are just so many positives and negatives associated with Thanksgiving Day:

+ Getting the day off on Thursday ...

- Having to go back to work on Friday!

+ Having the whole family over for dinner ...

- Having the whole family over for dinner!

+ Watching football on TV ...

- Watching the Detroit Lions play football on TV!

+ The scrumptious smells of the giant turkey roasting in the oven ...

- Lifting the damn turkey out of the oven without suffering third- and fourth-degree burns all over my arms!

+ Telling the story of my 40-yard run in the Thanksgiving Day game my senior year ...

- Listening to my brother's story about his two 60-yard touchdown runs in the Thanksgiving Day game in his senior year!

+ Giving thanks for all of our blessings ...

- Having Mom suggest that we go around the room and tell individually what we are all thankful for!

+ Having my mother-in-law give the blessing before the meal ...

- Having my youngest son blurt out, "Rub a dub dub, thanks for the grub, yeah God!" before she can get it out!

+ Turkey sandwiches the next day ...

- Turkey sandwiches for the next week!

+ Drumsticks, white meat, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie with loads of whipped cream ...

- Fat grams, cholesterol, Pepto-Bismol, and Tagamet HB!

+ Sharing a day with loved ones, counting all of our blessings, recalling all that we have to be thankful for ...

Well, there's nothing negative about that one.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Want to talk? Call me at 408.354.3110, ext. 31, or drop me a note at dsparrer@svcn.com.