For a long time, Thanksgiving has been my favorite holiday. As an angsty teenager, I grew disillusioned with Christmas and the way we lie to kids about the whole Santa thing. I also worked at Target from age 16 to age 23, and felt increasingly frustrated at America’s consumerism. I’d work on Black Friday and watch people fight over discounted Wiis, yelling at Target team members because we ran out of their favorite season of Breaking Bad on DVD. (Ok yes, these references are making me realize it’s been awhile since I worked at Target! Wiis and DVDs? Wow). 

Thanksgiving became my favorite holiday primarily because of the food. As an added bonus, my birthday usually falls right after it, and gets lumped into the family Thanksgiving celebration. Stuffing, pumpkin pie, and presents? Sign me up.

In recent years, though, I’ve come to appreciate Thanksgiving as a reminder to pause and take stock of everything I have to be thankful for. This year feels particularly special, because it’ll be my first Thanksgiving as a self-employed person. I wanted to reflect on the things I’m thankful for as a small business owner.