Still Thankful

I am in the grocery store today (its Monday after all) and I hear a Christmas song over the speakers.  I know. I know. They have been playing Christmas songs for weeks now. But it struck me today that Thanksgiving is not over for me. It's still here. It was only four days ago for crying out loud. See, I have this thing about celebrating a holiday so soon that when it is finally here, one is sick of it and ready to move on. I like to live in the feast. In the moment of the day/event itself. Anyway, I am choosing to still be thankful and want to share one of my favorite books of the season. I spotted it at my mom and dad's house, where we spend Thanksgiving every year. The text of the book is the lyrics from the song "Over the River and Through the Woods."  Here are some of the illustrations from the book and our version from Thursday. Similar but modernized a bit.

"Over the river and through St. Paul, to Grandma's house we go.  The van knows the way, to carry us all through the white and slippery snow. Oh.

 Over the river and down Fairview, drive fast my handsome Ben, we only stopped for church and Dan for 'tis Thanksgiving day..."

Thankful for a warm house to celebrate in. Warm in the Ferber sense. It may have been about 63 degrees.  Thankful for beautiful smiling girls who help Grandma prepare the house one day prior to Thanksgiving.  Thankful for my husband who extends the traditional dinner to a friend who's family was out of town and he would have been alone.  Thankful for the snow that made a fun playground for the kids. It lit up the dark which I swear descended upon us at about 3:30pm.  Thankful for extended family who provided three different kinds of delicious pie to choose from when I am really really truly determined to not gain weight this season. Thankful for Aunt Barbara who knows how to bless a little chef with her very own chef's hat. Thankful for my mom who keeps our childhood treasures so we can enjoy them over and over every time the season comes around.  This is a lot. I may just stay thankful for a few more days.