Bob Schieffer on the best of holidays

(CBS News) So, we have eaten our way through another Thanksgiving. I've said it before, so I'll say it again. In fact, I first said it in this little essay back in 2005 - Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday.

Christmas has its music, the Fourth has its fireworks, but we celebrate Thanksgiving by indulging our secret pleasure of doing what we shouldn't: Having a second helping.

Thanksgiving is not about someone or something else, it's about family and being together, and if you're lucky like me, that includes the grandkids.

Like an aircraft carrier that leaves port only when surrounded by smaller ships, Thanksgiving is the only holiday that arrives with a flotilla of smaller holidays that are observed with the same discipline and ritual.

Wednesday has become Getaway Day, the busiest travel day of the year.

Friday is Leftover Day for the stay-at-homes, and Black Friday for the shoppers.

And then there is today, Sunday, when millions sigh and say of their visitors, "We love 'em, but thank goodness they are finally out of here."

How to celebrate that? Well, go to the fridge right now, and see if there is enough turkey left to make a little turkey soup. It's great on a cold night.