It's November. The holidays are coming we tell each other, sometimes with a wild, fearful look in our eyes. But think about that word—holidays. Holy days. Its etymology is far removed from its current stress-inducing connotation, but I want you to consider something. Can your holidays become holy days?

I love Thanksgiving. It's a truly American holiday and one that has, perhaps because of its name, retained at least some of its original meaning and purpose. Of course, I'm the kind of person who shows love by cooking, so it's a holiday made for me. I'm already perusing glossy magazines, figuring out which recipes I want to try.

But our national holiday is not just about entertaining or eating. It is a day, as the name implies, for giving thanks. It's national gratitude day and I, for one, am planning to be as grateful as possible even though this has been, in many ways, a challenging year. We often travel to see family on the west coast for Thanksgiving, but because finances are tight ...