Saying Thanks For Thanksgiving

Weekly commentary by CBS Evening News anchor and Face the Nation host Bob Schieffer.

Of all the holidays, Thanksgiving is my favorite. The pilgrims held the first one, 200 years later Abraham Lincoln made it official, and we've marked the occasion ever since with a nice, large second helping.
Christmas has its music. The Fourth has fireworks, but we celebrate Thanksgiving by doing what we shouldn't--eating too much.
Maybe that's why it is so much fun. Thanksgiving is the one holiday that is not about someone or something else. It's just about us, our families, and if they include grandchildren, God's preview of heaven, it's all the better.
So we gather with no purpose but to be together, say thanks and dive into a great meal.
Like an aircraft carrier that leaves port only when surrounded by smaller ships, Thanksgiving arrives surrounded by a flotilla of smaller holidays that are observed with the same discipline and ritual. Wednesday has become get-away-day, the busiest travel day of the year; Friday is left-over-day for the stay at homes, and Black Friday for the shoppers.
And then there is today, Sunday, when millions sigh and say, "We love 'em but thank Heaven they're finally out of here. Now we can relax and get back to normal."
How to celebrate that? Go to the fridge right now and see if there is enough left to scrape together a little turkey soup. It's great on a cold night.