Thanksgiving is the most American of our holidays. Which may explain why your Leftwing relatives can’t help but to denounce and mock everyone who disagrees while helping themselves to more turkey and a second serving of pumpkin pie.

How sharper than a serpent’s tooth it is to have a thankless child!
~~Shakespeare King Lear

Your cousin, the sixth-year undergrad in Anger Studies with pink hair, opines around a mouthful of creamed corn that female wypipo who vote GOP are racist. Don’t risk your digestion. And certainly don’t risk your great grandma’s china, no matter how satisfying it would be to bounce it off your cousin’s head. Smile and ask for another helping of stuffing.

The other guests at the table, the ones who were, a moment before, planning a hasty retreat from the table, will sigh in relief and gratitude.

There should be those times in our lives when we can leave politics aside. When we can relax with our family and friends and be strengthen our bonds over celebration of small things. The birth of a new family member, a new job, a youngster starting music lessons, a teenager’s new driver’s license. We can talk books and movies and sports. Time to pass old memories of long past relatives down to our children. We can maintain old traditions and start new ones.

Be grateful for the good things and love the family we have. And for one day, we can set politics aside.

From my home to yours, may the blessings of God and the peace of Thanksgiving be yours.

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featured image original illustration by Darleen Click