A Thanksgiving Day Thought
Posted on November 22, 2018 Posted by John Scalzi 32 Comments
As I’ve gotten older, Thanksgiving has become, low-key, one of my favorite holidays, precisely because it encourages me to make an assessment of the good things in my life, and as time goes by I think reflection on that subject is a useful one for me.
It’s also a day for me to reflect on whether I have been someone who others are thankful to have in their lives — whether I have given as I have been given, and have made the effort to be useful to the people around me.
Also, of course, there’s often pie, so it has that going for it as well.
I hope this Thanksgiving finds you well and that there have been enough good things in your life that you can take a moment this day to appreciate and give thanks for them. I also hope that today you choose (hopefully again!) to be a person who someone else will be thankful for, on this day and in all the other days of the year.
That’s all. Now go have pie.
Rest assured, I am thankful for your imagination, writing skills, sense of humor, and your willingness to boldly eat what no one has eaten before,
Well, pumpkin pie is not really a tradition here in the U.K., but I am certainly giving thanks to the nice people at the Indian High Commission who have granted my tourist visa. I propose to follow the British tradition of visiting the nearest Chinese restaurant as I triumphantly carry my passport home, and I hope that everyone is as happy as I am today.
My beloved put the turkey in the oven when he got up for a call of nature in the middle of the night, and we already had a simple Thanksgiving dinner of turkey, yams, and dressing/stuffing for breakfast at 7am. (We’ll have vegetarian but complete and overflowing Thanksgiving dinner at my sister’s in the late afternoon.)
I said Grace this morning, but I forgot to mention being thankful for the only three websites where I read the comments. This, of course, is one of them.
So, yes, thankful for our host’s excellent writing, incomparable moderating skills, and the virtual company he attracts. Also, PIE!
As rendered, this is ungrammatical, in both English and Klingon (nouns being used as verbs and all), but it sums up how I feel:
chablu’meH QaQ DaHjaj.
Today is a good day to pie.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving! 🦃
Hey John, I know I’m thankful we’re friends. Even if I do still get butterflies in my stomach when we talk. But pie helps with the butterflies. Hmm. Pie.
Thankful for clean air and sunshine after rain in Silicon Valley, among many other things. Baking later – coconut flour cheese scones, not pie.
Turkey dinner & pumpkin pie were consumed last night,as my husband has to work tonight. (Both of us have had jobs where working holidays is normal.) I’ve deemed the pie to be very good, though not perfect. Thankful for a quiet day ahead and the prospect of toasted turkey sandwiches.
Laurence M. Schoen: is it OK to share that?
John, you are a gem. Hope you and Krissy have a great Thanksgiving.
Happy Thanksgiving. Assessment and reflection are good things.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family. No pie for me today. I worked last night so off to bed and some much needed sleep for me. Hope everyone has a great day.
Friends coming by later to help consume mass quantities, and they will be providing the pie, so there will be pie, although of unknown type. I must start getting the bird ready for the oven.
Among many other blessings, I give thanks for my wonderfully considerate and creative daughters, who managed to make a six-egg cheesecake with no eggs or gluten for their allergic-to-eggs-and-gluten friend. (The secret: bean water, from cans of chickpeas, instead of egg whites, and gluten-free graham crackers for the crust.)
That “Today’s Burrito” banner is really something.
Happy Thanksgiving, John & Family. For me, I can say following you on the social nets has been something to be thankful for. I find you inspiring as a writer and as a human bean. Cheers!
Happy thanksgiving to all.
As for pies, i would never diss a pumpkin pie, but after a lifetime of the crusted gourd, i must confess a recent infatuation with pecan pie. My god. Who invented this thing of beauty? I dont even know what Im eating. Is it ground up pecans? Or just pecans on top? If so whats in the middle? Its a stickey, gooey slice of heaven.
Today is indeed a good day to pie. Is there a bad day to pie?
Happy Thanksgiving to all! 🦃
I had to work (no, I don’t mind) but did have a lovely salmon dinner once I got home. The cat, oddly, wasn’t excited about the fish. She’s…weird.
The day was fine, the turkey dry, politics were ignored. Good to see parts of the family I only see on such occasions.
It is the build up to the day that makes me tired. A few years ago I modified a few pie recipes and those I let try them loved them. I offered to make them for them. It is getting old because it is up to 40 now.
Biggest hit is my pecan pie. I lightened up on the sugar and Karo. Replaced it with 1/4 cup molasses and 1/2 cup of heavy cream. It had re-convinced a bunch of folk who have suffered through too many badly made syrup pies(that recipe made by the wife of the vice president of Karo, when they had the product and didn’t know what to do with it.)
Discovered that the pie wasn’t really pie, but pumpkin cheesecake from Costco, but I can’t truly say that i has a disappoint.
Happy Thanksgiving John, Krissy, Athena and assorted cats.
We are very thankful it is raining. It has helped to control the devastating wildfires in Nor Cal and made the air breathable.
Our Thanksgiving was an mix of family, friends, and a few orphans we didn’t know before today. Everyone was civilized; no politics, arguments, or asshats. Very pleasant.
Oh, and pie!!
Pumpkin, apple, pecan, frozen chocolate mousse pies as well as blackberry cheesecake and pumpkin chocolate chip bread. Couldn’t try them all tonight but I”m looking forward to breakfast tomorrow =D
Odaiwai, of course.
Thanks for this nice note, Scalzi. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because it ties thankfulness and family, without all the consumerism and gift pressure of Christmas.
Has turkey. Had pies and cakes. Had a good time with non-politically-crazy family. All is well.
Pie and more pie. Spent day pigging out on pie.
I love ya kiddo. Give my love to the ladies..
Dogs and Cats too.
☺😀😍 pie..
I’m grateful for your books, which frequently make me laugh out loud. Happy T-day to you and yours, and may all your pie be delicious!
A belated Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours, John, and to all the commenters here as well.
We had pie here, including my no-Karo-syrup Kahlua pecan pie that is a family favorite. We also had pumpkin, cranberry cherry, and apple, plus a neighbor brought cheesecake and cream puffs. I think we had more dessert than dinner. Which is as it should be. :)
Thank You for great stories to read!
Gathered at the church to serve Thanksgiving to the community. Nice, plus the weather cooperated. Double plus, there was enough food that I had a piece of one of the pies I brought. (bought, not cooked)
Not only did I eat pie, I MADE a pie, a very tasty apple pie, for the first time. I plan to do this again.
Among other things, I am thankful for your books, especially Redshirts. My husband had not read a single book that was not required by school since 1983. About a year ago he bought a Kindle for his dad. He wanted to read a book on the Kindle so he could explain to his dad how it worked. I told him to download Redshirts and Ready Player One. He liked both of those books so much he bought a Kindle for himself and asked me to recommend more books. He has been reading almost every day since then.