Does it get any better than Thanksgiving?

It’s my favorite holiday on the calendar and I’m not even sure there is a close second. So while it’s still fresh in my mind, I’m going to make the definitive argument for why Thanksgiving belongs atop the holiday rankings.

1. It’s a big enough occasion that families have traditions and gather to spend quality time together. The same can’t be said for the likes of Veterans Day, MLK Day, Columbus Day or even Talk Like A Pirate Day.
2. While it’s nice to hang out with family, it’s also nice to have 10 or 11 straight hours of NFL football on TV as a buffer.
3. It leads into a four-day weekend for most people — hard to argue with that.
4. It’s based around eating a giant meal with turkey as a focal point. If you know me at all, you probably know that turkey is a major staple in my diet and the leftovers from Thanksgiving always seem to taste a little better than the turkey I eat nearly every other day of the year.
5. There are no gift obligations. I enjoy the Christmas season, but I do not enjoy shopping for others.
6. It hasn’t been over-commercialized. In fact, it’s been completely overtaken by Christmas in that department.
7. I don’t feel pressure to elaborately decorate the outside of my home for Thanksgiving. Nobody judges you for not putting up Thanksgiving lights.
8. No one comes to your house unless they are invited. Don’t get me wrong, the Halloween costumes on the first 100 or so trick or treaters that come to the door are very cute. But at some point, you begin begging for the doorbell to stop ringing (and then you turn off all the lights and hide in the basement).
9. It’s the one time of year you’re guaranteed pumpkin pie. When is the last time someone showed up at a Fourth of July BBQ with pumpkin pie?
10. There is no such thing as Thanksgiving music and that’s a good thing. Now that it has become acceptable to start playing holiday tunes in October, even Bing Crosby’s voice becomes as grating as the Kars For Kids jingle by the time mid-December rolls around.

I rest my case. Are you with me, Peepshow readers or does another holiday rise to the top or your list?