Thanksgiving was his favorite holiday growing up: better than New Year’s, with it’s wild abandon; better than Valentine’s Day, which was pointless for him; better than Halloween, which did not appeal to him at all; even better than the universally popular Christmas, with it’s developed and far-reaching traditions.

For his family, Thanksgiving was about one meal, held in the early middle afternoon; sitting down, as a family, to use the best china they owned and have the best meal they had all year — it was easy to be thankful, really.