Despite their best attempts, Thanksgiving is the one holiday that the American retail industry has not been able to completely ruin. That is why they skip it and jump from Halloween to Christmas. They can’t ruin it so they skip it.

I love the fact we don’t buy each other gifts on Thanksgiving, there are no Madison Avenue countdowns to Thanksgiving, there are no starving pilgrim sales at the mall and that we have one standardized Thanksgiving narrative (regardless of accuracy) and we actually stick to it.

I am glad we don’t have fictional stories about the Thanksgiving Puritan riding in a magical Buggy pulled by turkeys who travels all over the world on Thanksgiving Eve giving good boys and girls cans of gelatinous cranberry sauce.

Thanksgiving is about turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, gravy and deserts made of pumpkins and pecans. It is about family, friends, remembering and football but most of all it is about being thankful. We used to sing a song at church called, "Count Your Blessings" and for me, Thanksgiving is a time to do just that.

Here are some practical Thanksgiving Hacks to help you navigate:

1. Don’t start Christmas until Thanksgiving is over

This sounds simple but life is better served one holiday at a time.
2. Delimit

Don’t attempt to cook more or be more places than you can actually pull off. There are no wins in that game for anyone.

3. Say grace before you eat

Have everyone hold hands and actually thank God for all the good things in your life (and don’t forget the food).

4. Eat slowly.

No one leaves the table for an hour. Not a bit of dessert or a sip of coffee for forty-five minutes.

5. Tell stories

Tap into your family memories and tell your best stories! Concentrate on the people who are no longer at the table.

6. Enjoy who is there

Holidays can be tough is there is an empty chair staring at you. Death, divorce, estrangement and just being with family can make things emotionally difficult. Focus your attention on the blessings you have, not upon what you have lost.

7. Ban All Phones

Anyone caught with a phone at the table has to place it in the turkey carcass until after dessert.

A few years ago a cruel twist of fate resulted in me not getting any turkey and dressing for Thanksgiving. The details would only bring you to tears and to make a long story short, I ended up eating a hamburger from Casey’s that had been under a heat lamp since two days after the Mayflower first made shore on Plymouth Rock. That will never happen again, these days we go to Cracker Barrel for supper with my mom and dad just like the pilgrims.

I hope you and yours have a wonderful Thanksgiving.