It’s here — Thanksgiving, the best holiday of the year. As kids, we took Thanksgiving for granted. For us, it was primarily a reminder that Christmas — and presents — were just around the corner. But now, looking back as an 80-year-old, my richest holiday memories by far are of those Thanksgiving feasts with family, friends, love, and laughter filling our home.

Thanksgiving is a uniquely American tradition (although now copied by others). It is a day dedicated solely to conscious appreciation of our many blessings — first and foremost being the priceless gift of life in this great country.

According to legend — and solid history — our traditional Thanksgiving celebration is a symbolic recreation of the experience of our Pilgrim ancestors. In a quest for religious freedom, they embarked on a perilous journey across the Atlantic and eked out a tenuous foothold in rugged New England. With the help of the friendly Wampanoag tribe, they planted the crops essential to sustaining life through the winter months.

Their rich harvest came just in time, the first tangible evidence that they might actually survive the harsh New England winter. Pilgrims and Wampanoag celebrated with a communal feast.

Of course, the Thanksgiving story has been romanticized, but at its core, it is 100% authentic. The Pilgrim settlers faced uncertainties, hazards, and staggering obstacles at every turn. Their America was a strange and unforgiving place, far from perfect. They’d risked everything simply for the opportunity to come here and live in freedom. For them, America was truly the land of the free and the home of the brave.

At our own abundant Thanksgiving dinner table this Thursday, can we take a moment to reflect that sentiment?

Notice also how many people want to come to the U.S. versus how many want to leave. In the past four years, millions of migrants from countries all over the world have broken through our borders — and our laws — in hopes of starting a better life in this country. Clearly, they view America as a better place to live. We can understand and sympathize with their plight. In fact, it is a central element in today’s ongoing immigration debate. The competing element is that we must have secure borders to protect our nation in a dangerous world. It is an issue that we must resolve.

While millions are desperately trying to get into our country, some genuine American nincompoops have now decided to leave it because of the imminent horror of the incoming Trump regime. With great fanfare, TV personality Ellen DeGeneres and her wife Portia de Rossi have already left their California home and taken up residence in the UK — and they promise never to return.

It’s an interesting choice. The Cotswold, where they now live, is a truly charming spot. Yet I wonder if Ellen and Portia realize that their new home country is wrestling with its own overwhelming immigration crisis, that inflation there is worse there than in the U.S., and that England has no First Amendment protection. Speaking ill in public or on social media about government policies can land one in jail. Better keep your views to yourselves, ladies; the UK is not exactly the land of the free.

The simple reality is that our world is shrinking, and the challenges we in the U.S. face are rampant elsewhere as well. Overall, we are in the best shape of all. Imperfect as our country is, only 4% of the world’s population lives here — the other 96% wish they could.

The recently concluded 2024 elections were the most angrily contested in my 80-year lifetime. The good news is that the results were decisive — there is no room for doubt about the electorate’s decision. However, the country remains sharply divided — roughly 50/50 — and the partisanship is likely to remain at full tilt.

On this Thanksgiving, let’s give politics and partisanship a rest. We can rejoin the endless political debate next week, all the while being thankful that we are free to engage in it. And maybe, just maybe, we should remember that whether we win or lose, most of us want the same things for ourselves, our families, and our future — and that our nation is already blessed with more of the things we all want than just about any place on earth.

My advice for this Thanksgiving week is to chill, enjoy friends and family, eat too much turkey, watch some football, and fall asleep on the couch. Throughout all of that, count your blessings and think positively about our great country.

Happy Thanksgiving, all!