Thanksgiving was lovely. Actually, the whole week was great. I didn't step foot in the office all week due to a few extra vacation days in my pocket and the beautiful fact that higher ed means more time off during holidays. I spent the past week marking off gifts from the holiday shopping list, cleaning and organizing a number of the things that had been on the to-do list for far too long, cooking and baking and generally relaxing in my flannel pajamas.

And better late than never I suppose but just in case you wondered: I am thankful for cold weather, for family ping pong tournaments in between plates of turkey and home made pecan pie, for my niece who lovingly shares her box of 64 Crayola crayons and her princess coloring book with me, for the way that my sister-in-law refers to my brother as "love" in everyday conversation, for my family who, in spite of everything, manages to come together with so much love that the pain seems worth the trouble.

And I am thankful for this commercial, which managed to make me laugh and snort out loud in my living room because I absolutely know what this woman is feeling. Welcome holiday season!